A Jedi in Azeroth: Legacies
by Ragingcyclone
Summary: This is the sequel to A Jedi in Azeroth. Daneel and Demira have spent the past year in peace, but in Ashenvale a new danger threatens the Night Elves and Daneel is once again called upon to face a danger that threatens the inhabitants of the world he has come to call his home. This is not a "who would win in a fight" kind of story but a blending of lores between Warcraft and SWTOR.
1. Prelude

**_A Jedi in Azeroth: Legacies_**

**_Prelude_**

With swift feet and sure step the kaldorei sentinel ran through this small forest in the southwestern part of Ashenvale. She did not look behind her nor did she have time to. Using her bow was pointless as her quiver was empty from all of her previous and useless shots. She jumped over a fallen log and pushed a low hanging branch from her face as she ran…her breath giving the hint of exhaustion and her violet skin paled from it's normal dark complexion…she had been running for miles. The beast was long behind her. Along with another sentinel she had come to this forest to investigate reports of large creatures that would rampage and slaughter entire villages of furbolgs. They had come upon one such village recently attacked. The blood and gore reminded the sentinels of the war with the Burning Legion, but this did not reek of demon taint. Bodies had been rendered sometimes into more than two pieces and many furbolgs had been eviscerated. As they investigated the last hut the creature had come from behind them and struck her partner shredding his back. The armor tore as easily as paper as the massive claw nearly ripped the sentinel in half. She looked in shock at her partner as blood gurgled from his mouth as he slumped…dead before he hit the ground. The beast was massive standing close to twenty feet tall. It hunched over on a bipedal form with each leg as massive as a tree truck. The four-fingered claws ended in black, razor sharp points. Its head bore a large bony crest that spread back and outward from the front of its head, and its mouth was filled with many needle-like fangs with two large tusk-like protrusions sprouting from each side. After killing her partner it reared back and roared deafeningly into the treetops. She had emptied her quiver of arrows into the beast, but each one just bounced off its plated skin. Acting enraged at her feeble attack it swiped its massive claw at her, but with quick reflexes she barely dodged it. She turned to run and never looked back. For the first mile she could hear it following her…heavy footfalls shook the ground beneath her and that deafening roar repeated over and over…and the cracking of trees as it simply broke them from its path like a smaller being would break toothpicks. Those sounds lessened during the second mile and by the third she no longer heard them, but she would not stop running….fear had gripped her tightly. Never had she seen such a creature. No demon of the Burning Legion or of any locale on Azeroth or Outland matched the ferocity of this beast and it was no natural creature she knew of. If this was the beast that was responsible for all the reports and left villages devastated like the one she just left then she had to warn the other sentinels. They had to get word to High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind about the new danger lurking in these forests. Doing that meant she had to reach Astranaar. She would warn them as soon as possible even if it meant her life to do it.


	2. A Day in Eversong Woods

**_Part One: One Day in Eversong Woods_**

Jedi master Daneel sat at the edge of a small lake in Eversong Woods near the home he shared with his wife, Demira. Wearing only shorts on his medium but toned frame the sun glistened off his tanned skin and the gentle breeze blew through his shoulder length white hair. He had arrived on Azeroth four years ago by seemingly random and accidental circumstances, but as a jedi he knew better. The Force had brought him here. Not only was he bonded to the sin'dorei mage by marriage, but they shared a bond through the Force, and that bond had spanned galaxies to bring them together. But there was another reason he was brought to this world far from where he used to call home. Over thirteen hundred years ago a demon named Sargeras had brought a surviving faction of the sith from the Great Hyperspace War to this world in an attempt to overtake it. Through their ineptitude and lack of foresight they had failed in their mandate from the demon. It was a year ago that the jedi had removed the last vestige of those refugees from Azeroth cleansing it of a taint he was all too familiar with in his home galaxy.

This past year had been peaceful and quiet. He was training a talented and gifted woman whose training surpassed any he had seen in the Order. In the past twelve months she had progressed to a stage he was thinking of starting her trials to become a full jedi knight…something that usually took years. His own master had let the Force guide her in his training which itself was at an accelerated pace, and he felt Celeste's growth in the Force and understanding of the jedi way was in the same line as his own experience as a padawan. Since she was the age of five she had been trained to become a mage on this world but had met with little success. As a child she could move stones with her mind and a gnome named Magnus Weathergear thought she had a gift with the arcane. But her gift was in the Force and not the arcane…two sources of energy which repelled each other. Over the years her talents seemingly regressed, but not willing to lose faith in his student Magnus had met the jedi and allowed the man to test her. Helping Celeste to reach out to the Force, Daneel had opened the floodgates of her true talent. She was almost ready for her first test…crafting a lightsaber of her own.

Daneel placed his arms behind his head and smiled. He sensed her approach before he heard her. She sat on the ground next to him wearing a red bikini, and her long raven colored hair fell loose along her shoulders. She was the first person the jedi met on Azeroth and they had been together ever since that fateful day. As with other sin'dorei her eyes had glowed green, but today she looked out over the small lake with clear eyes with vibrant green irises. For Demira the change took place when she tapped into the Force to deliver a killing blow to the half-sith/half-night elf Tareesha over a year ago. Before that event she had dabbled with the Force to empower her mage spells, but since then she used it exclusively. The healing effects of the Force had healed her eyes from the affliction that troubled all blood elves. These days she didn't concern herself with the notion of was she a blood elf or now a high elf since her change, in her mind such a distinction did not matter.

"I just received a call from Kitali," she said to the jedi. "They plan on being here sometime tomorrow." Kitali was a draenei shaman who was married to Zharn…an orc shaman. They were close friends of the jedi and mage, and their pairing was one rarely if almost never heard of on Azeroth due to the history between the two species. The orcs had tried to commit genocide on the draenei on their old world of Draenor. "She said Zharn has a surprise for us."

"I take it she is getting better acquainted with using the holocommunicator?" he asked.

The mage giggled drawing a look from the jedi. "Maybe. She had it upside down when she first called. I heard Zharn tease her about it in the background. That started a short argument. I think their honeymoon phase is over and now they are a regular couple like the rest of us married folks."

Daneel lowered his arms and leaned back on them. "But they still have their moments. Like that one time her tail accidentally hit the contact switch while in the heat of the moment…"

Demira slapped the jedi on the arm. "Thanks for the mental image! That was more that I ever wanted to see or hear." Daneel laughed causing her to slap him again. "It's not funny!"

"It's a little funny," he replied trying to stifle another laugh.

"Sometimes I hate you so much," she said glaring at him.

"But other times you can't live without me," he said pulling her into his arms. "So what does that make us?" he asked with a smile.

"Married," she replied before kissing him.

* * *

The young woman ran through the trees as if guided to her destination, but she had never been in this section of Eversong Woods. The speed at which she ran caused her blonde ponytail to trail almost directly straight from her head, but her breathing was normal despite her obvious physical exertion. She wore a gray halter top and matching leggings that started at her waist leaving her arms and midriff bare…clothing designed to provide freedom of movement. Her matching boots cushioned her footfalls but left no tracks on the ground. She leapt over a fallen tree and somersaulted in the air before landing without breaking her stride. She was in the best physical condition she had ever been, and with her training she had become more powerful than she ever imagined, but these thoughts were not foremost on her mind. Her master had given her a task and she was determined to succeed.

Ahead she spied an even taller obstacle in her path…taller than her own five-foot two-inch height. Drawing upon the Force, Celeste jumped over the blockage with ease and upon landing on the other side finally stopped to gather in her surroundings. Her abdominal muscles flexed with each breath highlighting her peak physical conditioning. Her head and eyes moved from left to right as she scanned the forest around her. When she had met the jedi her body was as soft as her mind. She had always been an attractive woman with wavy blonde hair that hung to the middle of her back and her petite frame was considered perfectly proportioned by other humans. Men found her very desirable and she had had her share of pleasurable dalliances with some of them. But a year ago she could never have run a mile let alone the twenty she just ran. In addition to her physical transformation there was an emotional and mental growth. She had been Daneel's padawan for only a year, but in that time she had learned more than she had in her entire life. Years of failing in Dalaran while training to become a mage had worn on the young woman causing her to constantly doubt herself and her abilities. Before she met him she worried if she would ever become what her former master believed she could be, but now with a smile she realized she was and more. Magnus would be proud. Hopefully the jedi would someday allow her to visit her old master to show him that his faith in her had not been misplaced…that she had fulfilled and become what he always imagined for her…to become a powerful and trustworthy mage…but in her case now as a jedi.

In the distance she saw what Daneel had told her to search for. She closed her eyes and reached out through the Force. It was there…the wreckage of her master's ship…the one he was piloting when he first came to Azeroth. To the naked and untrained eye the ship was simply not there…ahead was visible only more empty forest. Demira had erected an invisibility spell around the craft several years ago, but her master had told her what to look for and being trained in the Force she would be able to enter the _Defender_.

"Be careful of the wreckage once inside the craft," he had warned her. "Once inside you will find a set of stairs. Follow those downward to a larger area filled with broken crates and containers. This is the old cargo storage area. Some of those crates were filled with explosives and corrosives so be mindful of where you step."

"What will I be searching for?" she asked before departing on her journey.

"One of those crates will hold several smaller boxes. I want you to bring back one of those," he had replied.

"How will I know which one?"

"You will know through the Force," he answered.

She ran towards the ship and at the entrance followed his instructions to the lower cargo hold. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. Acrid smoke had stained some of the walls and musty foliage crept along the corners and crevices of the flooring. Along more than two thirds of the cargo hold's deck was a thick brown coating of something that had leaked and apparently dried years ago. She began to step towards it and stopped as she noticed one of the crates' corners had eroded where it touched the brown substance. 'One of the corrosives,' she thought. She scanned the room. So many containers and crates were scattered about the bay and parts were lodged against the far side where at one point an explosion had ripped through the side hull of the ship. Closing her eyes she reached out through the Force and finally found a crate she sensed, but it was buried under several others along the far wall…and on the other side of the corrosives.

"I wonder if it's still dangerous," she said aloud. Her melodious voice echoed off the walls of the bay. She looked down at her cleavage and with a short jerk of her hand removed a small patch of her tunic. With a careful toss the cloth contacted the corrosive causing a wisp of smoke as it disintegrated. "Perfect," she said. "How am I supposed to get around that?" She could try jumping from crate to crate, but decided that they were too precarious and could tumble causing her to fall into the corrosive. She closed her eyes and calmed herself.

"A jedi must see all sides of a problem," Daneel had once told her. "Sometimes the quickest path may seem the best, but that is not always the case. That is a lesson the sith never understood. The best solution is not always the most obvious. Weigh all consequences before reaching a final decision. Trust in the Force and it will provide the answers you seek in your solution to any problem."

Celeste opened her eyes and stared at the pile of crates. With a deep breath she reached out her hands. One by one the crates moved as she touched each with the Force. They hovered free in the air above the corrosive until the one she desired was clear. Sweat pouring down her forehead; she moved that singular crate towards her as the others returned to their previous locations. As all of them settled she allowed herself to smile. Moving stones with the Force one at a time was one thing, but what she had just managed to accomplish was quite a different thing. Before this moment she had never moved so many objects at one time and in a concerted effort. She knelt before the desired crate and opened the lid. Inside were several boxes, but the one she felt through the Force was the smallest being only six inches long, three inches wide, and three inches deep. She pulled the box from the crate and opened it to see six roughly cut crystals packed neatly inside. Her smile turned to a frown. Why had her master sent her all this way just to get six seemingly worthless gemstones?

* * *

Demira knelt by her flowers near the front of her home. These new plants Daneel had given her just months before on their anniversary and they had just started blooming that morning. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply enjoying their scent. The day was calm, so when a slight wind rustled the sarong she had put on over her bikini she knew something was amiss. Standing she turned to see a blue dragon land about a hundred yards from her. Atop the dragon was a night elf in full sentinel regalia. With a sigh she watched as the woman dismounted and the dragon transformed into that of a human male with blue hair…one she was familiar with. Both began walking towards her, and the dragon in human form was smiling.

"Hello, Demira," Kalecgos said as they got closer.

"Hello, Kalecgos," she answered wondering why he had come. Last time she had seen him was when Daneel almost fell to the dark side over a year and a half ago. "Been a long time."

"Perhaps too long," he replied. Was it the oath? Was he trying to break his oath to her? "This is Shandris Feathermoon," he said as he pointed to the night elven woman beside him. "She comes on behalf of Lady Tyrande Whisperwind."

"You didn't tell me we were coming to see a highborn mage," the woman stated bluntly.

"I am a mage…you got that right," Demira answered putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes. "But highborn? I'm only in my forties!"

"Ladies!" Kalecgos said trying to stop the mounting argument he saw coming. He turned to Shandris. "I trust Demira implicitly. She cares more for the wellbeing and safety of Azeroth than anyone else I know including the other Aspects." The sentinel's reaction was a look of pure shock…especially from a former Aspect himself. He turned to Demira. "We actually came to see Daneel. We…they…found something that I think he might have some knowledge of."

Demira turned her head but kept her eyes on the dragon. "Kalec…we eliminated all of that a year ago. What could there be that Daneel might have knowledge of?"

It was Shandris that answered. "One of my sentinels came across a creature never before encountered anywhere here on Azeroth or in Outland. It is no known demon, but it stalks the forests of Ashenvale and has slaughtered many villages of furbolgs. This sentinel barely escaped with her life and ran nonstop for over sixty miles to warn us of this danger…warn us before she died in my arms of exhaustion. She ran herself to death. I took several bands of sentinels with some druids and we searched for this creature." She stopped and looked at the dragon before returning her gaze to the mage. "Out of twenty of us only myself and one druid survived. It is not a natural beast…of that the druid was certain…before he himself died of his injuries only two days ago."

"It is because of my oath to you that I brought her here," the dragon added. "If this thing is…unnatural…like the things we talked about…that I swore to you to protect…then perhaps Daneel knows of it and how to stop it."

"And you're sure it's not magical?" Demira asked crossing her arms over her chest. "An abomination created by a mage or mages?"

"I went to Dalaran at my Lady's behest because that was also her first thought," Shandris replied. "It was there that Kalecgos approached me and offered to bring me here to meet this strange person from another world."

"And what she described is nothing magical anyone in the Kirin Tor or myself are aware of," Kalec added.

"Describe it to me," Demira said. "I know a few things…I might know if he can help you or not." She hoped it was not some variant of the rakghouls that somehow got loose when Tareesha and her cult tried to create their own army. The creature's description would tell her if it was such a scenario.

"It stood well over twenty feet tall with dark gray, plated skin. It hunched on two legs that were as big around as tree trunks, and its arms ended in black claws that were razor sharp and tore through my sentinel's armor as if they were fighting naked," Shandris said. "Arrows and swords couldn't penetrate the skin. Our nightsabers were killed as easily as our warriors. The druids could not communicate with it…could not even sense it. That's how we are certain it is not a natural thing."

After a moment's hesitation Demira nodded to the pair. "Daneel is out back training. Come with me and I'll take you to him." She turned and led them around the outside of the house. She could feel the night elf's eyes boring into her back. 'Bigot,' she thought. 'Lumping me in with people over something that happened thousands of years before I was even born.' They reached the corner of the house and she smiled at the familiar sound of her husband's weapon of choice…his lightsaber. When he came into view she smiled more as he was facing off four remote drones they had scavenged from the abandoned sith base not far from their home. Still wearing shorts from earlier that day with the only addition being his utility belt, his skin glistened in the sun. She stopped allowing the other two to walk up next to her. Kalec did not look shocked as he had seen such technology before…somewhat a reminder of his oath to her to keep such technologies secret and secure from the rest of Azeroth's inhabitants. But her smile widened at the pure look of amazement on Shandris' face. Each floating drone was round and about the size of gnome's head with antennae sprouting from the top of each. They all fired stun bolts at the jedi which he deflected with his green blade. When they first rounded into sight of his dance with the droids he had deflected a bolt back at the shooter. The drone spun around on its axis and screeched a mechanical wail. The jedi smiled as he reached out with his left hand and a second drone flew directly at the onlookers. Demira deftly snatched the drone from its flight and flipped the power switch located near its antennae. While she did that, he threw his lightsaber at the remaining two drones. The weapon flew in a wide arc circling the blade around the hilt. It cut down both drones before returning to the jedi's outstretched hand, and in one movement he extinguished the blade and placed the hilt on his belt.

"Show off!" Demira shouted to him with mirth.

"Were you impressed?" Daneel asked as he powered down the remaining partially functioning drone. It dropped to the ground with an audible thud.

"Hardly," she replied. "I've seen you do this hundreds of times." He turned and started walking towards them. "Takes more than downing a few drones to impress me anymore."

Beside her the dragon stifled a laugh while the sentinel stared at the exchange. "You two were flirting like this the last time I saw you," he said with a chuckle. "Glad to see some things haven't changed."

"Never," Daneel replied as he stopped before them. Demira moved to his side and held his hand. "Good to see you, Kalec. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"This is Shandris Feathermoon, and she has come across something that I am hoping you may be able to help her with," the dragon replied. The jedi bowed his head to the night elf in greeting. "Shandris, this is Daneel…a jedi master and the one I told you about."

"I would see the eyes of the man I am entrusting my people's safety to," the sentinel replied indicating the metal visor Daneel wore.

"That's not such a good idea…" Kalecgos started to say beside her.

Demira leaned into Daneel's ear while keeping her eyes on Shandris. "Go ahead, hon. Show her your eyes."

"Demira, you know…" he began to answer.

"She won't believe you without seeing them," the mage said with mirth. "If you don't do it now you'll have to do it eventually."

"Only by seeing your eyes can I know the sincerity of what you say," the sentinel added.

"Master Jedi," Kalec started using the honorific, "it really isn't necessary." He turned to the night elf. "Daneel is as trustworthy a person I know. I wouldn't have sought his council unless I was sure of that fact."

"He is a human bonded to a highborn elf," Shandris replied. "I remember too well the treacheries committed by the highborn upon the night elven people. I was there…I lived it…and I will be satisfied that I can trust him myself."

"Demira is right, Kalec," the jedi stated before the dragon could further protest. Beside him Demira stifled a giggle…she was dying to see the night elf's reaction. As insulted as she had been by the sentinel's reaction to her, the mage couldn't wait to see the woman's face when she learned what Daneel really was. He let go of her hand and reached up to the visor. "Madame Feathermoon, I must warn you that what you are about to see you may find discomforting."

"I have seen a great many things," she replied. "There is very little a human can do to startle me."

"But I am not a human," the jedi replied as he removed the visor. Shandris gasped. "My people are called Miraluka, and as you can see we differ from humans in a very profound way."

"W-what happened to your eyes?" the night elf asked clearly shaken as he replaced the visor. "How do you even see?"

"Miraluka do not have physical eyes," he replied. Demira beside him turned to face away from them and covered her mouth trying to stifle her laughter. "We see things through the Force. I do not need sight organs to see." Demira doubled over and a few snorts and snickers could be heard. "My people wear these adornments because many species find our lack of sight organs disturbing and by appearing thusly we can avoid such reactions from those unfamiliar to us." He tilted his head to his wife. "That was very cruel, Demira."

She turned around and her shoulders still shook from her laughter. "She deserved it," she finally answered after taking a deep breath and turning completely serious. "She kept calling me a highborn. I am not a highborn. I was not even alive when there were highborn elves as she refers to them." She turned and walked up to stand in front of Shandris. "I know what the highborn…the real highborn…did during the War of the Ancients. But they are not me or I them! I was not alive then! I was born a blood elf and with an addiction that only in the past year I have finally been freed from! Do not blame me for the circumstance of my birth because you hold a prejudice from thousands of years ago. Instead of living in the past and dredging up old grudges perhaps you should concentrate on the here and now! And the people who are living in the here and now! There are enough dangers in the present that demand more attention than what happened by a bunch of people…most who are long dead…did ten thousand years ago!" She turned and walked away a few steps…her back to the dragon and night elf. "And there are good people on both sides…what race they belong to should not matter if their heart is good…you just have to be willing to look past the outside and see each individual for who they are…not what race they belong to. If I lived as you I would never be where I am today. I would never have been fortunate enough to marry the amazing and caring man standing before you. My friends who are also married would not be ostracized by their own people. They wouldn't be shunned because one is a draenei and one is an orc…and their union seen as an affront to their respective races. And Azeroth…Azeroth itself would be a more peaceful world…if we just quit judging what we see on the outside and begin seeing each other as simply…people." She turned around and looked at the ground as she wiped tears from her cheeks. Daneel stepped over and hugged her. Demira looked at the silent night elf and dragon. "I'm sorry for my outburst," she said quietly.

"Perhaps we should go," Kalecgos said quietly turning to leave, but Shandris shook her head and walked up to the couple. She looked down at Demira and smiled.

"It takes courage to speak to me as you just did," she said calmly. "And you do not voice the same opinions as other sin'dorei I have encountered. When I saw you and knowing we were in Quel'thalas I assumed you were like others I had met. I have done you a disservice and I owe you an apology." She turned to join Kalecgos in leaving.

"Wait," Demira said leaving Daneel's arms but now holding his hand in hers. "Tell Daneel….tell him about these creatures." The dragon and sentinel stopped and looked back. "If they are what I think they might be then he will know and can help you." She looked at Daneel. "I remember reading some information off of the datadiscs back at the base. Shandris described something that was similar to one of the entries, but I can't be certain."

"What do you think it might be?" Daneel asked her.

"A rancor…but what she describes is much different," Demira answered.

Daneel looked at the night elf who had now turned back to face him as did Kalecgos. "Tell me about these creatures," he said to Shandris. She relayed the same details she had to Demira earlier. After she had finished Daneel brought his free hand to his chin. "It's not a rancor," he said to Demira. "What she is describing sounds more like a terentatek, but that is simply not possible."

"How so?" asked Shandris.

"Because for a terentatek to be here means the sith would have had to brought them here with them, but that was thirteen hundred years ago. Some jedi scholars believe the creatures were created by Exar Kun on Yavin IV less than four hundred years ago and yet others believe a little longer than that being corrupted terenta left on Korriban in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Regardless, both cases are still long after the sith were brought here by Sargeras. That means it could not have come with them." He released Demira's hand and began pacing. The trio watched him. "It could be a terenta, but they were not massive as she describes nor did they have plated skin that was resistant to arrows or swords. Terentateks have plated skin and are massive, but still not invulnerable to arrows or other weaponry…only direct Force attacks. It is possible that the sith did find a terenta and brought it to Azeroth with them, and then through some dark side alchemy mutated them into these creatures. But I have never heard of the creatures living for millennia even though they do hibernate when the dark side's presence in the galaxy is reduced and awaken when it is on the rise." He stopped to face them. "However, even then these creatures stayed in places strong in the dark side even in hibernation. That's why several were found in the Valley of the Dark Lords…the sith homeworld. There is no such place on Azeroth where such a creature would exist as I know. I do not think it is a terenta or a terentatek."

"But you can't say for certain?" Demira asked as she walked up to him. She held his hands. "These sith tried to recreate the rakghoul plague and thus a new Scourge…and they almost succeeded. We stopped that threat." Shandris' eyes widened at hearing these strangers had stopped a threat to Azeroth…one she was never aware of before this moment. She looked at the dragon who nodded that…yes…he knew of the secret threat. The sentinel's opinion of this couple suddenly changed to the positive. Perhaps the former Aspect's trust in these people was not misplaced nor the statement he made earlier that this woman cared more for the safety and welfare of Azeroth than any other being he knew. "But what if one of them tried to create a different version of these terentateks? I remember now you telling me of the jedi's Great Hunt…wasn't that for these creatures?"

"I have found nothing in their archives that such a plan existed beyond the work of Karness Muur," Daneel replied. "And terentateks were only created as guardians and hunters of Force users…namely jedi. If they did have such creatures then the reds would assuredly used them against the greens centuries ago…and we both know they did no such thing."

"Excuse me," Kalecgos said making the couple turn to face him. "But do you know how many of those…" he stopped and looked at Shandris. "Just how many of those places…we were at together…how many the sith had?"

"Bases? We destroyed the false island base, there is the one near here that we control, and the one under Stormwind remains hidden thanks to your help, Kalec," Demira answered.

"But I have a suspicion there may be at least one other that is unknown to us," Daneel added as he looked at Demira. "Selene had to have her base of operation somewhere and she divulged nothing about its location to me before she died."

"Hold on a minute," Shandris said placing her hands before her. The others looked at her with quizzical expressions. "What is all of this about sith, bases, reds, greens, and these other things? Who are these people you are referring to?"

"It would take a while to explain," Demira said bluntly. She looked at Daneel and nodded. "I think we could tell her a few things...just to help her understand a little of what we suspect might be happening."

The jedi looked at Shandris. "What we would reveal you would have to keep secret. We have kept some things a secret from the rest of Azeroth because they must remain that way…for the safety and wellbeing of its inhabitants. Can you make such an oath? To swear that what you hear today will not be divulged to anyone else?"

"_If_ what you tell me is of no import I can make such an oath. But _if_ I deem it necessary to tell anyone I will tell only Lady Tyrande," she replied. "My loyalty to her is always first…that is the best I can offer you."

"Kalec?" Demira asked the dragon.

"You have my oath again if necessary," he replied.

"I do not question yours," she replied with a smile. "But I ask your opinion…if Shandris were to tell Tyrande Whisperwind what we say here today…could _she_ keep such things secret? Is her dedication only to the night elves or to all of Azeroth?" The sentinel cocked her head to the side at the mage's last remark. Demira looked at Shandris. "I ask this because what we reveal could be devastating to Azeroth and all of her peoples. More dangerous than the Burning Legion…the Lich King…Illidan…even Deathwing. I know you were at Theramore. What we reveal today would make that destruction seem small and insignificant…"

"Theramore was not insignificant," Shandris replied with nostrils flaring.

"Just…listen to her," Kalec said touching Shandris' arm. The sentinel looked at him. "Remember I was also there…I know what Demira is referring to…and she is not belittling what happened to Theramore at all."

"Shandris…you saw my blade," Daneel said calmly. The sentinel's gaze turned from the dragon to the jedi. "Can you say you have ever seen a weapon like it before?"

"I have seen magical weapons before," she replied.

"It is not a magical weapon," Demira stated. "It's of a level of technology far beyond any we have on Azeroth. And where he came from it is but a small example of the kinds of technology they have." She stepped closer to the night elf. "His people travel from world to world on ships, Shandris. And they built cities as vast as the land could hold. Whole planets like Azeroth that were one giant city filled with people living there and calling it home…more people than you can imagine and all in one place. And their technology…that could create such grand and miraculous things…could also destroy them…destroy them on a scale so great that they could do the damage of the mana bomb at Theramore thousands of times over…do the damage done to Outland with a simple push of a button…they could, Shandris, reduce all of Azeroth to dust."

"Not…not possible," Shandris answered shaking her head. "What you are suggesting is not possible."

"I have seen some of this technology, Shandris," Kalecgos said beside her. She turned her head to face him. "Trust me, as a former dragon Aspect, that what they are telling you is truth and their interest in keeping such things secret is for the benefit of all of us on Azeroth."

"The fewer who know means the safer our world is," Daneel said. Shandris looked at him when he said 'our world'. "Come…let us sit and talk…for this will take some time," he continued as he pointed to the back deck of the house. On that deck was a table with several chairs. He started to turn towards the house when a beeping sound came from his belt. He pulled out the holocommunicator from its pouch and activated the unit. The night elf gasped as the small three dimensional image of Celeste appeared above the small disk in the jedi's palm. Demira smiled next to the jedi as even the dragon was amazed having never seen this kind of technology before but still recognizing the former mage.

"Master, I found the ship," Celeste stated.

"And the crystals?" he asked.

"I found them under several crates surrounded by some corrosive. I used the Force to move the crates to get the one that had the crystals. But, Master, are these what you really sent me here to find? I don't understand."

"Were there six crystals in the container?" he asked.

"Yes, Master."

"When examining them through the Force does one stand out more distinctly than the others?"

"Um…yes…two of them do…actually," she replied.

"Then bring those two back here and leave the rest with the ship. Make certain that the invisibility spell has not been disturbed by your presence," Daneel instructed. "I will tell you more once you return."

"Yes, Master," she replied before the image dissipated. Daneel placed the unit back into its pouch.

"Was that little Celeste?" Kalecgos asked as they began walking towards the deck. "She looks so…different….more focused and confidant." Daneel and Demira nodded to him. "I remember seeing her in Dalaran. She wasn't a very good mage but I recall she was always trying her best although even that was a struggle for her, and then a year ago Magnus Weathergear came back without her stating she had finally found her true calling. I never thought it was with you." Shandris said nothing but kept a wary eye on the jedi's belt. "You are training her to be like you, then?"

"She is very strong in the Force," Daneel answered. "Her abilities in many ways match my own and in some even surpass me." The dragon's eyebrows raised in shock. "Her struggles with becoming a mage were because she was always Force sensitive. The way the Force flows through her always blocked her attempts at using arcane energies. Now that she has been shown how to see the Living Force and become its conduit…"

"Her full potential has been realized," Demira said finishing the jedi's sentence. She looked at the jedi as they neared the table and chairs. "I suspect with the crystals she is ready to make her own?"

"Her own what?" Shandris asked breaking her long silence since the padawan's call.

"Her own lightsaber," Daneel answered with a smile. "Although she has only been under my tutelage for a year I believe she is ready to begin the trials. Her first step is to craft her own lightsaber. Then she will be much closer to being a fully trained jedi knight."

"She's that gifted?" the dragon asked as he sat in one of the chairs. Shandris sat beside him while Demira and Daneel sat across from them. "I mean I know arcane energies and your force repel each other…I've felt that much…but is she truly that talented?"

"She is," Demira replied with a smile to the dragon. Then she looked at the sentinel. "Now…about what has happened in the past four years that can perhaps shed some light on all of this for our guest? Hmm…where to begin? I was walking in some woods not far from here…" the mage began. For the next several hours she along with Daneel, and a couple of times from Kalec, they told Shandris of how Daneel came to Azeroth, about the sith and their deal with Sargeras, about Tareesha and her Cult of Sith'ari, and about Selene.


	3. Preparations

**_Part Two: Preparations_**

Thera'gon stood gingerly on a branch far above the ground. Below him his pet was ransacking yet another furbolg village. A wide smile crossed his pale, hawk-like high elven features framed by shoulder length blonde hair as he relished in the carnage the beast left in its wake. His red eyes scanned the area as the terentatek picked up a hapless furbolg and ripped it in two. These betrayers would soon be crushed and their existence ended as was his intention. His apprentices would soon unleash other similar beasts on the other races responsible for the disappearance of his beloved queen. The earthen, the taurens, and the furbolgs had all aligned themselves with the night elves in the war long ago. He knew that alliance was why his matron, Azshara, had been forced into hiding. For millennia he had searched for her with no success. Rumors haunted him that she had been changed into a naga and lived deep in the ocean while others said she simply was slain when Zin'Azshari fell into the Well of Eternity as it collapsed on itself. He believed none of the lies saying she was dead or transformed for her perfection could never be tarnished…could never be ended. No…Azshara was simply hiding awaiting her faithful. What he was doing he did for her. She would see his faithfulness and reward him. And when his greatest creations…creations that made the beast below appear tame and timid…were ready to be unleashed upon the dragons and end their existence then she could return to the world and all would bow to her glory, her beauty…her perfection.

Since the Sundering ten thousand years ago he plotted and schemed ways to return the highborn to their place atop Azerothian society with Azshara leading them as it had been before the betrayers had ruined everything. His delving into demonic fel energies had changed his body…his skin paled from its original violet hue to something pinkish like the humans. But even using those energies was not enough. He remembered the felhounds and the doomguard from that war long ago…remembered Mannoroth and Archimonde…all demons and all had failed to save his queen. Fel energies were not the answer, so centuries ago he looked elsewhere for ways to return his beloved matron to her rightful place in the world. It was in Silithus where he came across a strange red skinned man with fleshy tendrils on his face. They battled and the surrounding area was devastated from their attacks, but both men emerged unscathed. His arcane magics had no effect on the red skinned man, and that man could not harm him. After hours of battle they finally called a truce, and as time passed Thera'gon learned a new source of power from that old hermit…the Force. The man's name was Narcis and he called himself a Lord of the Sith. What he was or who he was mattered little to Thera'gon, but this magic the man wielded intrigued the highborn greatly…a source of power on a level with the Well of Eternity yet seemingly at odds with those energies. Most magics on Azeroth, in his mind, came from arcane energies including demonic ones…even those magics wielded by the dragonflights. But this force was something entirely different. With it as a source of his power he could have his revenge on his queen's betrayers and restore her rule and no one on Azeroth could stop him.

Lord Narcis taught him other things as well…things like the beast wreaking havoc below him. These sith, as they were called, possessed knowledge of how to bend, twist, and mutate creatures to their will with this force. He told the elf how to create monstrosities that were untouchable by arcane methods and with body plating that could withstand any weapons present on Azeroth. And Narcis taught him how to control these creatures he created through the Force. He had to give up his dependence on arcane and fel energies, something he was reluctant to do at first, but after a time he realized the Force empowered him more than the previous ever had. He was more powerful than Mannoroth…perhaps even as powerful as Archimonde. When his vision became a reality and Azshara returned to the world he would be second only to her and perhaps as his reward for his faithfulness to his beloved queen she would make him her consort. For all this knowledge and power he gained, Thera'gon felt he owed Narcis a debt and remained at the hermit's side until he died not more than a decade ago. The elf even built a tomb for the strange being in a deep cave in Silithus. To this day he was convinced that when he visited that small shrine he could still feel the dark presence of his former master. Narcis certainly haunted that cave for very little lived within a hundred yards of that foreboding place and what did survive was as twisted, gnarled, and as dark as the presence inside. Even thinking of that place sent a shiver down the elf's spine.

The sound of a hut crashing under the terentatek's massive blows brought the elf out of his revelries. This kind of beast was called such by Narcis, and originally was a furbolg who had been alchemically changed into what Narcis called a terenta, and then they used dark rituals to further mutate the terenta into this terentatek. Thera'gon still heard the screams of the victims in his dreams, but no matter the cost all sacrifices made in the creation of the terentateks were necessary for his queen. The creature's hunger could only be satiated by the blood of furbolgs from whence it came. Thera'gon's apprentices, two other lost highborn like him and new to the Force, each commanded a similarly created terentatek. The one for the earthen originated as a dwarf, and the one for the tauren started as a tauren. Once those races had been dealt with then they would unleash all three on the night elves. In their hunger they should destroy anything set before them before quickly expiring. That last part was Narcis' suggestion and something added during their creation. "Never leave them a chance to turn on you," he had said. "Control of a beast can be difficult when it is faced with insatiable hunger." The end of the night elves would be swift and thorough. Thera'gon was proud of his creation as it crushed yet another hut killing several furbolgs inside. But his greatest creations…those would come once the night elves were eliminated from the face of the world…and then it would be the dragons' turn to face his vengeance and come to fear his wrath. Only then would his beloved queen reveal herself…only then would he finally have all he ever wanted. He closed is eyes as he envisioned her return…could see her perfection…smell her fragrance…and felt the touch of her skin as she rewarded her new consort. He no longer heard the cries of despair and agony of the furbolgs as they were slaughtered or the roars of the terentatek as it continued its murderous destruction of the village.

* * *

Celeste sat before the bench with her legs crossed, hands on her knees with palms up, and her eyes closed tightly. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of her brow that was furrowed in deep concentration. Since she had returned from her trek to her master's old ship she had been in the old sith base in Eversong Woods. Daneel had given her a holocron and told her to follow its instructions. He remained at his home. The holocron was a set of instructions from him to her on how to construct a lightsaber. When the holo-image of Daneel mentioned this she was both elated and frightened at the same time. For him to tell her how to make a weapon like his meant she was progressing much further than she imagined, but she was also afraid that perhaps she wasn't ready for such a test. A failure now could be fatal.

She had not slept for the past two days, since before her trek to the old ship, and had spent that morning constructing the shell of her new weapon. Now she was in the final phase of its creation…and her ultimate test of whether she was ready to become a fully trained jedi. During her sparring sessions with her master she preferred the usage of a staff as opposed to a single bladed weapon. She was used to wielding staves…she had used many of them during her time in Dalaran training to become a mage. For her such a weapon only felt natural so when Daneel said nothing about two crystals connecting to her through the Force…because now she understood they were not simply pretty baubles as she originally thought…she simply accepted his reaction. Now before her on the bench was the casing of the new double-bladed weapon she was creating. The first of the crystals she was certain rested properly aligned, but the second was proving a bit more of a challenge. She stretched further through the Force. Only through the Force could one align the crystals to construct a lightsaber and that was why it was the main test to measure if a padawan was ready to be a full jedi. If the crystals were off by even the most infinitesimal amount the weapon could range from not functioning at all to actually blowing up. Some padawans, according to Daneel, had been killed during this test. She tried not to think about that last part as she adjusted the crystal. After a few more adjustments her eyes popped open. Smiling she reached out through the Force to permanently set the crystal and close the casing. With a deep sigh she stood and walked to the bench and reached out for the completed lightsaber. Closing her eyes she activated the switches. Two violet blades of pure energy ignited, one from each end, with the familiar snap/hiss. She opened her eyes and examined her new lightsaber. She was successful…and her master would be proud of her.

* * *

About a league outside of Ironforge a group of five dwarves stood over the smoldering wreckage of a large beast. They slapped each other on the back and promised drinks to each other as they celebrated a small victory. The beast lying dead at their feet had been responsible for ransacking a small village not far to the north. These five had come seeking the bounty placed on the creature's head, and carrying enough explosives and firepower to level a city they had found the strange animal milling around in a clearing. With their guns they had shot it, but it seemed only angered at their pitiable attacks. Not wanting to lose out on the gold promised for this thing, they had laid a trap and lured the creature to this patch of woods. Once it stepped inside a secluded area that they had planted with bombs and explosives, they detonated the charges…and the beast crumbled.

At the same time on the opposite side of the world two tauren shamans examined the remains of a ferocious beast they had slain. Using all of their knowledge and the immense help of the elements they had slain this beast as it entered their village. Three warriors had died trying to attack the monster, but their weapons proved useless against the plated skin of the animal. The shamans called upon the spirits of fire and lightning to help them, but in the end it was the spirit of earth that had prevailed. By opening a fissure in the ground beneath the beast they had trapped it momentarily and it almost escaped, but even with its massive size it could not resist the grinding of the rock as the spirits continued to assault the creature. Now all that remained was the mangled body and a pristine massive head with a bony crest with two large tusks coming from the corners of its mouth.

In both places neither the dwarves nor the taurens noticed the seething elves that had been watching their creations. Both escaped notice as they fled the failures of their terentateks…

Except in Ironforge…for none of them, not even the elf, saw the raven haired human woman watching in the distance. Very little of her body was exposed below her chin, but the pitch black robes hugged her body highlighting every feature most men would describe as perfectly proportioned. Her long hair and black cape billowed in the breeze as her steel blue eyes watched the interloper. Strange to see a blood elf near Ironforge, but stranger still was her own presence. Sitting high in a tree appearing completely at home, Kuro watched as the dwarves congratulated themselves on their kill and the lone blood elf skulk away through the trees. The explosion had drawn her attention as she flew overhead and now the remains of the beast intrigued her for it looked nothing like any creature she had seen in all her countless centuries. The elf leaving the area obviously controlled it…perhaps even created it…and she was interested as to what other curiosities the elf might have hidden elsewhere. Focusing on the elf she left her perch and transformed in mid-fall. The wind from her wings startled the dwarves, but only briefly. They never saw her and after a few shrugged shoulders their celebrations renewed oblivious to the leviathan that had just flown over their heads. Kuro ignored the revelers as she concentrated on the fleeing elf and shadowing his movements. He was particularly skilled in the roguish elements of magic as nothing noticed his movements…man or beast…and Kuro found herself even further intrigued by this strange man. He was almost as good at hiding as she was…and since only Wrathion and she remained, to her knowledge, of the black dragonflight her skills in camouflage and stealth were unmatched. She let the winds lift her higher and on a flight path ensuring she left no shadow on the ground for the elf to see. A dragon's eyes were keener than any bird of prey and she had already marked him as hers. She would follow this man wherever he led, but always from the shadows…he must never know she trailed him…not yet.

* * *

Daneel leaned over the bed he shared with Demira. On it was an open travel bag; he was packing several days worth of clothing and personal hygiene items. Kalec had left with Shandris the day before and soon he would follow to Darnassus and join them there to meet with Tyrande Whisperwind. He tucked a device for cleaning his teeth into a side pouch and turned around towards the closet in the wall behind him. He reached for a set of brown robes cut in the traditional style of the jedi and stopped. Next to it was a set of white robes he had received on Voss after completing the trials of the mystics. His hand gravitated to the sleeve of the upper tunic and he ran his fingers down its length. It was similar in cut and style of his brocart robes that he was wearing when he first met Demira, and these white robes were the set he wore on their wedding day. Hanging next to it was the white dress she had worn.

"Please don't take those with you," he heard her say behind him. He had not heard her enter the room. "And don't take the set you were wearing when we first met. Those are special and I don't want them to get ruined."

Daneel turned to face his wife. "I wasn't thinking of taking them," he replied. "I was just…thinking."

"What about?"

"That I wish my sister could see us," he said quietly. She walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think she would adore you," he said as he put his arms around her waist.

"What's bothering you, baby?" she whispered. "What triggered all of this?"

"I was just thinking that the last time I packed like this was just before I arrived here," he replied. "I'll never see her again."

"I'm sorry," she said hugging his head to her shoulder. "I wish I could have met her."

"It's not just that. Last time…everything changed for me. I wouldn't trade it for anything…I love you and our life together."

"Then what's bothering you?"

"I just…you should come with me," he replied. "Pack a bag and come with me to Darnassus."

She pulled his head up and looked at his visor. "You know I don't want to go where the people will constantly stare at me thinking I'm something I'm not. They'll all look at me thinking I am some highborn just like Shandris did. I just don't want to go through all of that. And besides…you'll have Celeste with you. You don't need me tagging along."

"But I do need you," he whispered. "I need you with me. Come with me. Shandris knows you better now that she's gotten to know you a little. She's a leader amongst her people and they will understand that you are not what you may appear to be…"

Her eyes searched his visor. Sometimes she wished he did have eyes to look into, but she knew him well and something bothered him. "What is it, baby. What are you worried about?" Then she remembered what he said about packing. "Are you afraid that this trip…that you may not come back?" She hugged his head back onto her shoulder. "Honey…you are not going to find some spatial anomaly this time…you'll come home…and I will be waiting for you."

"I know that intellectually," he said quietly. "But emotionally…I just don't want there to be any chance of losing you…and the memory of that last trip…"

"I know, baby, I know," she whispered. She realized that as wise and powerful as he was, Daneel was still new to dealing with his emotions. When he thought she might be dying he almost fell to the dark side of the Force and was prepared to destroy an entire city in an act of vengeance. For the master jedi who had cut off his emotions for so many years, now handling strong ones were still a challenge. Packing and seeing their wedding clothes had triggered just such an event, and so for him she reached a decision. "I'll come with you," she whispered to him. "I'll be with you…always."

An hour later she dropped her travel bag next to his in their living room. He had left to retrieve the speeder they would take from the nearby hidden base. As she packed her feelings of dread at the prospect of walking amongst the night elves lessened. She was going for her husband and no one else. She came to the realization that what the kaldorei felt about her would never really matter because of how the jedi felt about and for her. His opinion was really the only one that mattered. So she wore an outfit similar to the one she was wearing when she first met him…red top with long sleeves that left her midriff bare. The matching pants she wore with black boots that came up to her calves. And over it all she wore a red robe similar to Daneel's that was cut in a traditional jedi style. She was the wife of a jedi, after all.

She laid the top robe on the bags and turned towards the kitchen when a bright light flashed outside one of the windows drawing her attention. Raising an eyebrow she walked to the back door to see what had caused the flash. Just beyond the back deck were Kitali and Zharn. She had forgotten they were coming today. Both emerged from a magical portal created by the use of Demira's hearthstone she had given the couple as a wedding gift. They each wore brown robes of a style typically worn by shamans of the Earthen Circle…with the exception that Kitali's midriff was bare like hers and Zharn's muscular arms were completely exposed. A small gasp escaped her as she watched Zharn walking slowly with the use of a cane. The courageous orc's spinal cord was nearly severed when he was attacked by the woman Selene a year past. The blood elven woman was possessed by the spirit of a long dead sith lord, and had Daneel not arrived on the scene when he did the orc would have been killed. As it was they never expected the shaman to ever walk again, but seeing him now Demira was elated. Beaming beside the orc was his draenei wife. They had married just days before that fateful attack despite the misgivings of their respective races, but looking at them now Demira could not imagine a more perfectly matched couple…besides herself and Daneel…of course. The mage ran to the couple and boisterously hugged the draenei and then carefully the orc. After hugging Zharn she leaned back and looked at him.

"You're walking!" she exclaimed. "I can hardly believe it!"

The orc grinned at her. "It was either start walking or spend the rest of my life in that half mechanostrider that Windi Weathergear created for me. I had to get out of that contraption."

"And none too soon," Kitali added. "She is still trying to perfect that rocket chair design she originally wanted." The three shared a laugh. Their history with the gnome involved some fairly outrageous adventures with rockets…and a couple of actual trips into orbit over Azeroth.

Demira pointed to the door of the house. "Let's go inside where you can sit. I imagine you still need to keep off your feet most of the time."

"That's much appreciated," the orc replied. The mage led them into the house. The visitors noticed the pile of luggage as they passed through to the living room. "You guys going on a trip?" We could have waited and come at another time," Zharn commented.

"It's not something we planned," she replied as she sat in a chair opposite the divan that Kitali and Zharn soon occupied. He laid his cane against the end table as the mage continued. "We have been asked to help some folks in Kalimdor." She relayed the events of the previous day with the blue dragon and the sentinel from Ashenvale. The shamans looked at each other and then back at the mage.

"Do you need us to come with you?" Kitali asked. "Or do they need just the 'jedi'?"

"We'll be fine," the mage answered. "And we told them nothing about our Order."

The other two nodded knowing what Demira meant. After the defeat of Selene they had established a new Jedi Order on Azeroth. Although Daneel and Celeste were the only two actual jedi by definition, they had agreed that their order would exist based on the principles which governed the Jedi Order Daneel had grown up in. One did not need to be Force sensitive to live by the Jedi Code. It only made sense to them that other disciplines outside the typical jedi would be needed to protect Azeroth from outside dangers. Shaman, mage, druid, warrior…such distinctions did not matter for them…all were of Azeroth and all could live by the code and become jedi in time. The sith were gone from this world, but they had lived here for over thirteen hundred years. The new jedi's held no illusions that sith impact on Azeroth was over, and that despite their best efforts some legacies of the sith still existed to this day. They banded together to protect their home from those dangers. For now their order was small…only six…but as time progressed and hidden secrets were discovered they knew more would eventually join their ranks…but always it would remain secret from the rest of the world. The less the populace at large knew of these otherworldly dangers the better…for it would lessen their impact upon Azeroth and its people.

"Daneel will be pleased with your surprise, Zharn," Demira said. "He has always felt that he failed you in some way. Had he acted sooner on his vision he could have prevented your injury or so he thinks. To see you walking again will lift his spirits immensely."

"He didn't fail me…I keep telling him that," Zharn replied with a grin. "He saved my life of that I am certain. But my walking is not the surprise we have for him."

"It's not?"

"About a month ago we were in Outland," Kitali stated. "We went there to see the damage done to that world and learn how better to heal Azeroth." Demira nodded. "And you know that both Horde and Alliance have a presence there especially in Shattrath."

"And we discovered someone that has some unique abilities," the orc added.

"Such as?"

"He senses things before they happen," Kitali said. "And he has been seen walking in the streets levitating stones over his hands."

"But he is no mage, druid, shaman, or any other kind of magic wielder," Zharn added. "We think he might be like Daneel and Celeste…Force sensitive."

Demira sat straighter in her chair. What they were saying could mean only two things…they had found a descendent of the sith like Celeste…or they had found an actual untrained Force sensitive native to Azeroth or Draenor. While it was true Daneel hypothesized that mages and other magic wielders could learn to sense the Force and harness it, they had yet to discover a natural Force sensitive like him or his padawan. And because her heritage was mixed with sith bloodlines generations ago the jedi held little hope of finding a native Force sensitive, but now Zharn and Kitali were saying they had found just such a person. "Who is this person?" she asked.

"He is an outcast…like me," Zharn replied with a smile and Kitali with him. "We were walking in Shattrath and had heard stories of this young man. We were looking for him, but instead he found us."

"He is an orc named Grogg," Kitali interrupted. "And he approached us one day. A draenei and orc holding hands in public is not something you see every day. Unlike everyone else around that shied away from us…"

"Grogg walked right up to us and started talking all friendly. He was curious about why we were walking down the street as we were," Zharn added. "He was very forthcoming about himself. It seems that his parents were cast out from the Horde around the time of his birth. They became pirates…"

"Hence his name," Kitali again interrupted.

"And…"Zharn continued with a sidelong glance at his wife, "around the time he was twelve they were killed while raiding an Alliance ship. He survived by hiding amongst the crates in the cargo hold and slipping overboard in the night. He swam to an island and lived there alone for several years until a Horde ship found him. The orcs aboard took him in and trained him to be a warrior, but he was more inclined to diplomacy and peaceful thinking. When they returned to Durotar he was mistakenly believed to be his father and almost killed outright. One of the sailors who had found him quashed that by telling about how they had found him, but once his story was told and his parentage was revealed he was outcast like his parents were…so he wandered the world and eventually to Outland where we found him."

"But why were he or his parents outcast?" Demira asked.

"He wouldn't tell us or he doesn't know," Kitali answered.

"I am inclined to believe he does not know," the orc stated. "In Thrall's Horde there were very specific reasons for one to be outcast. Chief amongst those was consorting with demons…but that was usually a death sentence. Murder was another, but that too was usually punishable by death. But his parents' banishment was before Thrall's time as Warchief…during the time of Orgrim Doomhammer. I'm not sure what could have been the reason."

"Hmmm…"Demira started as she stood up. She crossed her arms over her chest and placed her right hand on her chin much like Daneel did when he was deep in thought. She paced the room before them. "I don't recall those times because sin'dorei weren't with the Horde then. I wonder…could they have been suspected of consorting with a demon but not certain what they were consorting with was actually a demon? So they were outcast because of suspicion?" She stopped and looked at them. "If Grogg is Force sensitive as you think he is…perhaps a sith recognized his potential and approached his parents."

"And no one knew what a sith was or what they looked like," Zharn concluded. "A person with red skin and eyes would indeed be strange and suspected of being a demon."

"You think one was trying to…recruit Grogg?" Kitali asked.

"Think about it," Demira answered. "They were dying out. Few remained and they were fractured. Varok and his daughter were scheming in their own little 'world'. Maktai was hiding in Stormwind amongst human mages…and apparently had a notion in his past of raping night elven women. Tareesha was dabbling in her plans and the Rakata island. The greens that were alive were hanging around places of war, despair, and famine like a bunch of drug addicts. How many other reds were there still living and with schemes of their own? Taking on a native apprentice just might be one of them trying to establish a dynasty on this world. Or what if a sith woman was perhaps seeing a potential mate that could keep a semblance of her bloodline intact?"

"There are just too many possibilities," Zharn concluded. "Too many variables we don't know or haven't discovered yet."

"Which is why we founded the Jedi Order here on Azeroth," Kitali added. "To watch for just these kinds of legacies left behind by the sith."

"I think my husband will agree with me on this, but we'll see what he wants to do. I think you will need to return to Shattrath and befriend this man while Daneel deals with the situation in Ashenvale." Demira sat back in her chair. "Then I think when that is resolved he'll have another padawan to train." Kitali and Zharn both shook their heads in agreement. The small council had made a decision and now only awaited the jedi master's input. In matters dealing with the Force his was the final decision.


	4. Greater Concerns

**_Part Three: Greater Concerns_**

Two sleek panthers prowled the Ashenvale forest. Their feline forms moved without sound as they searched for their prey. Moonlight beams shone on the ground where they passed through the tree canopy. The female suddenly stopped and raised her head to sniff the air causing the male to stop with her. Ahead in the distance were the smoldering ruins of huts and other small structures. It was a furbolg village. She looked back at him with silvery eyes, and with a nod the male turned to his left while she moved to the right. As he slowly crept forward the density from the smoke increased and the smell of the fires permeated the air. A few steps closer to the smoking village told him all he needed to know…the beast had been here. He stalked the outside of the village trying to ascertain whether the furbolg's killer was still in the area. He was not familiar with its smell so he relied on his eyesight since he knew a vague description of the strange creature that had been terrorizing the area. Circling the perimeter he spied several carcasses of slain animals and the corpses of the village inhabitants…or what was left of them. Small fires burned where some of the villagers had been killed in the middle of cooking their meals or heating water. Overturned stock pots and racks once full of animal furs littered the ground. The big cat spied no survivors. Some of the bodies were mangled beyond recognition. From one side of the village to the other was complete and utter ruin. The female moved with such stealth he never heard her approach as he reached the far end of the village. He looked at her silvery eyes as she lowered her head to the ground. A nod from his sister told him she had found the same as he. The druid siblings, Aeyrn and Adaria Windwalker, transformed back to their natural night elven shapes. He wore a sleeveless brown leather jerkin with matching leggings and boots. Around his waist was a plain belt with several small pouches at his sides. His shoulder length black hair he wore in a ponytail. Beside him his sister wore similar attire and with her silvery hair hanging loosely over her shoulders to the middle of her back. Their dark blue skin appeared almost black in the moonlight. While his face and features were narrow as was typical with night elves, her face was more evenly featured and rounded like a human. She also stood a head shorter than her brother at around six foot. From appearances few would suspect they were actually twins.

"It has been here," he said quietly to her. "By the condition of the bodies I would say within the past day." He sniffed the air. "The smell of decay is still fresh."

"And the carnage is so…thorough," she commented. "Some of the bodies have been…eaten…on." She quickly looked over at her brother and then back towards the wreckage of the furbolg village. "And I found little sign of struggle. It's like they were taken unawares by the attack and it was so fast they never knew what happened."

Aeyrn pointed to their right along the path he had taken around the village. "I found some strange tracks leading in that direction. Something large with three toes on each foot. They would fit with the description of the creature."

Adaria looked up towards the moon. "Are you sure this plan will work? The sentinels and other druids say no weapon can penetrate its hide."

Aeyrn pulled a pinch of yellow seeds from one of the pouches on his belt. Adaria looked at what he held. "These are like the seeds used by Shan'do. Once the creature inhales them they will enter inside its body and grow…and with intense heat. It will be destroyed from within…not outside as has been tried. That is the secret I hope will end this unnatural beast and bring peace back to this land. Such tactics worked against demons of the Burning Legion and so they should also against this abomination."

"I hope you are right, brother," Adaria replied as she looked at the remains of a furbolg child lying in ruin next to its mother's body. "This carnage and suffering must come to an end." Her twin silently nodded his agreement.

The siblings shifted back into their panther forms and ran to where Aeyrn had seen the tracks. Once on the trail they remained wary since this creature they hunted was already a known dangerous foe and nothing to take lightly. It was something unnatural and they both felt it their duty to remove it from the world.

* * *

Shandris Feathermoon led the trio behind her through Darnassus. One each side and behind them were sentinels, but they were not what bothered Demira. She held tightly to Daneel's right arm as she sensed the lingering stares of night elves as they walked to their meeting with Tyrande Whisperwind. To his left Celeste walked alongside her master staring in awe at the night elven capitol. Like Daneel and Demira she wore outer robes cut in the traditional jedi style, but the rest of her attire was a glaring contrast. Her abdomen was bare from just below her breasts to just below her waist. Her top was more akin to a bikini but with a little more cloth and coverage over her cleavage. The leggings were tight and almost a second skin that rode along her hips except in the front. The young woman was proud of her athletic body and enjoyed showing it off when the opportunity arose. The mage was somewhat of an exhibitionist herself, but Celeste at times went much further than Demira would even dare. There was even one occasion she wasn't sure that the padawan dressed as such due to a crush on her husband. His faithfulness to her she did not question, but she worried about what could happen to the girl if such a crush progressed further. Strong emotions amongst Force users could have catastrophic consequences. Months ago Demira had breached the subject of his padawan's attire choices with her husband, but he waved it off stating that the jedi never really had a dress code. Although most jedi wore a traditional style that was not flashy or outrageous and trended towards the more conservative, there were some who dressed in the current fashions. His sister, he noted, had been known to wear similar clothing as Celeste's from time to time. He also thought the notion of the young woman having a crush on him was just perhaps the padawan's enthusiasm at finally finding a path and direction in her life. Naturally she would be grateful to the person teaching her. Demira was not thoroughly convinced on the latter, but since then she never thought much about the woman's attire until now when all the night elves were staring at them. She was certain they were staring mostly at her because she appeared to be a high elf, but having a half-naked attractive human would still garner some stares. 'No,' she thought, 'they are staring at me and only me.' Unconsciously she gripped the jedi's arm tighter. Shandris apparently noticed the mage's discomfort and discreetly switched places with the sentinel that had been walking next to Demira.

"I can feel them all staring at me," she whispered to Shandris. "I knew this would happen if I came here."

"They are not staring at you," the sentinel general replied with a grin.

"If not me then who are they staring at? I don't see any other pale skinned elves here," she retorted. Demira had to look up at her. Although she and Daneel both stood at five feet ten inches, the night elves still towered over her making her feel small.

"They are staring at your husband," Shandris stated with mirth.

"At…at Daneel? Why?" A sudden burst of jealousy sprouted in her thoughts, but she quickly quashed it.

"It may have slipped out that he has no eyes," the night elf admitted. Demira looked at the crowds around her more closely. They were indeed directing their stares not at her or the human, but at the miraluka walking between them. Silvery and golden orbs tracked the jedi's every movement. "They are curious as to how he can see. Some remember Illidan very well and his demon-given magics were the reason he could see after Sargeras removed his eyes. But to see someone who was actually born without them…they are understandably curious…and nervous."

"He's not in cohorts with demons!"

"They understand that," Shandris answered. "The fact that Lady Tyrande personally invited him assuaged those concerns."

Demira looked at the sentinel. "Speaking of her…how much did you tell her? I mean…what we told you and Kalec…how much did you repeat to Tyrande? And where is he?"

"Kalec left for Dalaran yesterday morning. He stated something about receiving a summons. Ways of the mages I don't completely understand so I can only assume that what he was recalled for was of magical concerns. As for what I told my Lady…I told her everything," Shandris replied bluntly looking straight forward. "I told you I would relay to her everything I felt she needed to know." Now she looked down at the mage and smiled. "Like me she was very impressed with what you and your husband have done for Azeroth and Kalimdor. And like me she will keep those secrets safe from everyone else…including her husband, Malfurion." She looked forward again. "It's not that he is not trustworthy, but he would not understand all of the technological things you are trying to protect or care overly much about them…it's part of his druid ways…but Tyrande especially appreciates your efforts in that regard. I think she understands better than I the dangers of it you fear and she shares those fears with you."

"That surprises me…that she would not tell her husband. From what I understand they are very close and have been for millennia," Demira stated.

"They are," Shandris replied as the procession continued walking. "But there have been times where they did not agree completely. And as the archdruid he seldom concerns himself with technological issues unless they directly affect the natural world. My Lady simply doesn't feel the need to burden him with such issues."

"What about this creature we have come here to investigate?" Daneel said beside them apparently hearing everything they had been saying but keeping quiet. "Does this not concern this archdruid? You mentioned in your earlier visit that a druid called it unnatural."

"It does," Shandris replied. "While some druids are actively hunting the creature as we speak, he has gone to Moonglade and entered the Emerald Dream to seek the creature's source. Even if the creature were slain this very moment he desires to know where it came from and how many more there are out in the world."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Demira asked. "I thought since the Aspects were no longer…Aspects…that entering the Emerald Dream was more difficult."

"Who other than the green dragons could be better suited to enter that realm?" the sentinel asked back. "Malfurion will find the answer he seeks there…if there is an answer to find."

* * *

Adaria slid down the creature's back as her claws tried to dig into its plated surface. To her its hide felt like steel. Her brother had called forth roots from deep beneath the ground to ensnare the beast's feet, but it was difficult for them to keep it restricted for long as its massive legs ripped from them like they were wet noodles. Once on the ground she rolled just avoiding the massive claw it swung at her. She had stayed in panther form while Aeyrn fought naturally in front of their foe using spells he could not cast in animal form. In the distance was another furbolg village, and they had intercepted the intruder before it could reach its intended victims. The villager's shouts could be heard even over the roars of the beast as it battled with the druid twins. She leapt away as more roots rose up to entangle the creature's legs inching their way up to its knees. This fight had only lasted minutes but she was already winded. She transformed back to her normal kaldorei form when the beast swung its arm at Aeyrn. The druid sidestepped just barely avoiding a possible evisceration by the huge black claws.

"Use the seeds!" Adaria shouted to him. "Use them now!"

"I need a better position!" he shouted back to her. "I have only a small amount and I need to make certain they enter its mouth!" It swung at him again, but he was just out of its reach. "We only have one shot at this and it needs to count!"

"I'll keep trying to distract it," she replied, "but I can't keep going like this forever! It's just too strong and powerful. And it's much faster than we first thought!" Her body leaned over to assume her transformation back into a panther. "Please hurry!" she said before completing her change.

She leapt back onto its back causing it to rear its head and roar into the trees. Her sensitive feline ears pained her and she fell back to the ground…her chest heaving as the wind was knocked out of her. Without intention she transformed back to her normal shape. Aeyrn in that time had moved closer to the creature's face. He held his hand before him cupping the seeds in his palm. She watched his lips move as he incanted the spell into them. They flew from his hand into the gaping maw of the beast. It boomed what she could only imagine was a sneeze, but it also swung its claw at Aeyrn…and he did not move fast enough to avoid it. He flew through the air and struck a tree not far from them.

"Aeyrn!" she screamed as she scrambled to her feet while also avoiding the creature's arms it had begun flinging about as the seeds worked their way into its body. They grew in size and radiated an increasing heat. She reached her brother's still form near the base of the tree and heard the explosion of flesh as the seeds performed their intended purpose inside the body of the beast. She ventured a glance at it in time to see blood and gore fly in every direction. One of the claws landed a few feet from them. The abomination was destroyed and Aeyrn's plan worked. They had saved the village. Looking back at her brother she searched for signs of life, but he was not breathing and blood pooled on the ground beneath him. Calling upon the wilderness around her…the plants…the trees…the nearby forest animals…she channeled their life energies into her brother. Closing her eyes and praying to Elune she desperately tried to save her twin.

Nearby hiding amongst the trees Thera'gon watched in dismay as his creation was obliterated by the night elven intruders. As his terentatek exploded from inside he felt its pain within his skull as it died before he could sever his link through the Force. He brought his hands to his head and inwardly screamed in anger and fury at this catastrophic turn of events. This should not have happened…should not have been possible. How could they destroy his creation that was supposed to be invincible? As the pain from its death subsided he dropped his hands and glared at the woman leaning over the man. His red eyes almost steamed as his anger boiled within him. His right hand touched the metal cylinder at his hip…a final gift from Narcis before the red man died. He was just about to pull the lightsaber from his belt when he spied several furbolgs running towards the two traitors. Thera'gon's nostrils flared as he emerged from his hiding spot. The sith weapon stayed on his belt as he raised his arms to his sides. The furbolgs stopped and looked at him…as did the woman kneeling on the ground. He would show the woman what he would unleash on her people…and the extermination of the furbolgs served as his demonstration.

Adaria turned her head at hearing the furbolgs run towards her, but as she looked up she spied the strange blood elf standing no more than fifty yards away. His arms were raised to his sides. She gasped as the man levitated two feet in the air and his head tilted towards the treetops. Purple lighting sprouted from his fingertips and then from seemingly nowhere and everywhere purple lighting struck the ground around the group of furbolgs not far from her. The acrid smell of electricity was quickly followed by those of burning hair and flesh as the furbolgs were struck repeatedly by the lighting. Some of their fur caught fire and several limbs were explosively amputated. Their screams of pain filled the forest and crushed Adaria's heart as she watched them writhe in agony. She looked in horror at the blood elf creating this attack that was nothing like any she had ever seen nor did she know how to stop it. She felt utterly helpless despite being an experienced druid. As she watched each victim fall to the ground dying she also felt her brother's breathing through her hand lying on his chest. She took their last bit of life to ease their passing as much as she could and channeled them to her brother so he might survive. In their pain they gave to her willingly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the people they had tried to save from the creature were suffering and dying now by the person who apparently controlled the beast…and with a power she was certain she could not match…not without her brother. The lightning suddenly stopped as the last furbolg's death throes subsided. The blood elf lowered to the ground as did his head. He stared at Adaria. She was stunned at what she saw for he did not have the glowing green eyes typical of that race, but with eyes like a human with red irises and a yellow rings around the pupils. A chill ran down her spine at the expression of pure evil radiating from the stranger.

"You," he said in a raspy voice pointing to her. "I want you to return to your treacherous people and tell them what happened here today. Tell them I…Thera'gon of the highborne…I am coming to eradicate your entire civilization from the face of this world! Tell that imposter, Tyrande, that the _true_ queen of the night elven people shall return." Before she could muster a response he disappeared into the woods while beneath her Aeyrn began to stir.

* * *

In the Temple of the Moon Tyrande Whisperwind, High Priestess of Elune, sat at a small table across from her guests. Her white sleeveless gown hugged her curves tightly and contrasted strikingly well with her violet skin. Her long blue hair was pulled back behind her ears and hung loosely down her shoulders and back. A warm smile highlighted her elegantly featured face. As a sign of mutual respect and trust Shandris stood behind Daneel and Demira while Celeste stood behind the leader of the night elves. Before them on the table was a platter with a selection of fruits and berries surrounded by goblets filled with various juices. When the jedi produced a small device and scanned the food and drink provided Tyrande hid any surprise she might have had. Shandris, on the other hand, voiced her concern over the jedi's lack of protocol until Demira explained that since he was an alien amongst them anything might be poisonous to him…even something as common as water…and that he tested such things not out of suspicion they were trying to harm him but because his species was that much different than those living on Azeroth. The sentinel general quickly acquiesced understanding the logic of the mage's statement. The jedi apologized regardless and the priestess accepted gracefully.

"I am curious about this code Shandris mentions you live by," Tyrande asked as they began eating once Daneel determined the food was safe for his metabolism. "Could you tell me what it is and explain it to me?"

"Aren't you more curious about the Force?" Demira questioned.

"I understand it is an energy produced by living beings," the priestess answered.

"It is the energy field created by all living things," Demira replied. "That is…plants, animals, elementals, sentient beings, all things that are alive help to generate the Force. It surrounds us…it penetrates us…it binds all things together."

"You almost make it sound as if it is itself a living thing," Shandris said behind the mage.

"In many ways the Force is just that," Daneel said calmly. "It is much too complicated to try and explain in one afternoon. But yes…myself and many other jedi do believe the Force is a living thing. As nature strives for balance so also does the Force. By following the 'will' of the force we also seek balance in all things."

"And this code is what you live by to find this…balance?" Tyrande asked.

"Yes," Daneel answered. "The first line of the code is 'there is no emotion, there is peace.'"

The priestess leaned forward in her chair. Demira noticed that although her gown seemed loose around the collar as she leaned over and her cleavage should have been more exposed the opposite occurred. "But Shandris told me you once let your emotions take over…that you almost destroyed Stormwind."

"That is true…and also where I failed to follow the jedi code. I perceived that Demira was dying," he said as he reached for the mage's hand. She smiled as she held his. "I feared it greatly. Fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…and hate leads to suffering. In my fear I grew angry with the sith for bringing the rakghoul plague to Azeroth. I sought them out and when I found that old base my anger grew to hatred. I hated them so much I sought vengeance…but in my blind fury I did not care for the suffering I caused in the city above me."

"But you still love your wife," Shandris stated noting they held hands with a nod of her head. "Isn't that still an emotion?"

"I do," he answered. "I love her very much. A jedi does not forsake all emotions…that would be impossible. What the code means is that we do not let those emotions govern our actions. Were I to have thought rationally and calmly…been at peace in my emotional state…when I thought she was going to die I would have discovered that she had been exposed long before and the plague was not in her body as I had initially feared. I would not have sought vengeance on the sith and consequently not endangered the people of Stormwind as I did."

Tyrande nodded knowingly. "What is the next part?" she asked.

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge," the jedi answered. "This means that by gathering as much information as possible we can make the correct decisions. And when such information is not available we rely on the Force to guide us. We open ourselves to it and follow where it leads us."

"But what if this force is wrong in where it might lead you?" Tyrande asked.

"The Force is never wrong," he replied. "Because it is generated by all living things and seeks balance it will never possibly be wrong. It is us…those who are conduits of the Force…we are the ones at fault if a wrong action is taken. It is our failings and not the Force that are to blame if an incorrect decision is made. By learning more about the Force we lessen those possibilities."

"But what if you delay while you wait for more information and something dreadful occurs?" Shandris asked. "What if people die because you may not act in time while you wait for further _knowledge_ to present itself?"

"If such things occur then it is the will of the Force that they do," Daneel replied calmly. "To act too hastily could actually cause more horrific consequences somewhere else."

"Care to elaborate?" Tyrande asked. "I don't quite understand what you mean by that. I could not sit idly by while others suffered."

"I can give a simple military example," Daneel said with a smile. "In your war millennia ago with the Burning Legion and Archimonde, he was notorious for using subterfuge and false retreats to lure your forces into his traps." Both night elves nodded remembering that time over ten thousand years ago. "Some of your leaders fell for those and your army paid the cost in more bloodshed. Some whole villages were annihilated and their people slaughtered. Others, like Jarod Shadowsong, recognized those traps early and avoided disaster but still at the cost of some lives on the front lines. Had he not acted as he did by rushing in without waiting for more information you would have lost that war and Azeroth would have been destroyed. By acting as he had the greater good was served and you live today free of those demons. Life endured because of those actions despite the suffering that occurred when others wanted him to act sooner. Looking back now can you say he made the wrong decisions?"

"I see your point," Shandris stated along with a nod from Tyrande. "Please continue."

"There is no passion, there is serenity," Daneel said.

"How is that different than the first part?" Shandris asked.

"While it is true that passions can cloud our judgment, it can also hinder our connection to the Force. By being calm, passive, and at peace the Force can flow through us…or connection grows stronger…we become conduits of the Force. But it also means more than that. As a jedi we must also conquer our feelings of arrogance, overconfidence, and other mental states similar in divisiveness. Chief amongst these for me and many others is that although we are strong in the Force we are not any better than those less attuned to it. The pauper on the street corner is no less important to the Force than I…"

He was interrupted when a sentinel entered the room and knelt before the priestess. She was breathing heavily. "The creature has been slain, my lady," she stated. Shandris looked at Tyrande as Daneel and Demira exchanged looks. "A couple of druids slew it this morning."

"That's good news…right?" Celeste said having been quiet and simply observing the exchange between the night elven leader and her master.

"I sense there is more, my padawan," Daneel replied.

The sentinel stood and placed her arms behind her back. "They also report that they were attacked by a blood elf that was apparently controlling the beast."

"Attacked how?" Shandris asked as she moved from behind the jedi and his wife towards the front of the table near the sentinel.

"The woman said he levitated above the ground and killed many furbolgs with…lightning."

Demira bolted upright in her chair. Daneel leaned forward and placed his right hand on his chin. Tyrande noticed the couple's reaction. "What troubles you both?" she asked.

"That…that sounds exactly how Selene attacked us at sea," Demira said to the jedi.

"She was certain it was a blood elf?" he asked the sentinel.

"That is what she reported to us," the woman replied. "She said it was a blood elf with strange eyes…eyes like a human with…"

"Red irises," Demira said quietly as she slumped in her chair. "I thought we got them all."

"We did get them all," Daneel replied shaking his head. "It can't be a sith…I sense none of them left on this world."

"How can you be certain of that?" Shandris asked looking at the miraluka.

"Because I should be able to sense them through the Force, but I feel none of them left. And I sense no concentrations of the dark side."

"But, hon, didn't the sith in your galaxy hide their entire civilization from the jedi for over a thousand years?" Demira asked quietly. "Are you certain that we got them all? If this blood elf is using the dark side…we both should have felt it. Isn't it possible he has hidden himself well and blinded us to his presence?"

Daneel looked at his wife and sighed deeply. "You are right. This is most troubling."

"What else did the druid have to say?" Tyrande asked the sentinel while watching her guests. She was reading their reactions in a hope to better understand what was happening in Ashenvale. Shandris had relayed to her all she had been told while first visiting the jedi and his wife in Eversong Woods. At first she was shocked at what her adopted daughter told her about this man from another world far from Azeroth, but as the story unfolded she gained a deep respect for not only this man but also his wife and their friends. They had risked everything to save their world from a threat that until just days before Tyrande and the rest of the world never knew existed. His concerns now were quickly becoming hers.

"That he claimed to be someone named Thera'gon and that the true queen would return." Tyrande's head snapped around at the mention of the name. It was a name she never thought to hear again after over ten thousand years. The mention of Azshara, although not directly, also caught her attention.

Shandris spat on the ground causing Demira to look at her. The sentinel general looked at her with disgust…but not disgust at her. "I know that name. That monster is long dead." She looked at the sentinel. "That will be all. Please leave us. And get some rest."

The woman nodded and left the room. Shandris looked at Tyrande who was now standing and pacing the room. Demira's gazed followed the priestess not quite understanding what they were concerned about. In her mind there was a lost sith on the loose, but their reaction was indicating something else. Daneel still sat in contemplation with his chin in his hand.

"Thera'gon is dead…he has to be," Shandris said. "He was in Zin'Azshari when it fell into the Well. I know it!"

"There were many things that happened in that war that we cannot be certain of everything," the priestess answered still pacing. "He was one of Azshara's highborne and most likely was killed or joined her as a naga…"

"Who is this Thera'gon?" Demira asked interrupting the priestess' spoken thoughts.

"He was one of the queen's cretins who tried to bring Sargeras to our world through the Well of Eternity," Shandris answered. "A highborne mage…one of the real ones…that betrayed us all and almost caused the destruction of Kalimdor." She looked over at her foster mother. "If he did survive and has been plotting against us this whole time then why now? Why wait until now to reveal himself? Why not when Illidan was back? Or the Burning Legion?"

"Ten thousand years is a long time to hold a grudge," Demira commented raising an eyebrow.

"If it truly is Thera'gon then he was also one of those enthralled by Azshara," Tyrande responded. "All of us were just before the war started. Even Lord Ravencrest was certain unto his dying breath that she needed rescuing from the highborne." She looked at Shandris. "As to your question I don't have an answer. I don't know why he would wait so long or choose now as a time to reveal himself."

"I might," Daneel said causing them all to look at him. "His attack as described is one used by the sith…an attack using the dark side of the Force." He looked up at Tyrande. "Knowing what little of your history I do know I can guess he has been plotting and scheming awaiting the right time to unseat you from your position as leader of your people. As to why not return when the Burning Legion did…I can guess he already deemed their powers a failure because of what happened in that first war. Why side with a losing team?"

"You think he found one of the hidden sith?" Demira asked.

"I do," Daneel replied. "Imagine…he meets one of them…discovers that his arcane and fel magics are ineffective against the Force protected stranger…so he decides to learn this new power…"

"And returns with beasts he created with it," Shandris stated. "Like these terentateks you mentioned that were mutated through this force. He created them…"

"And planned to use them to finally act on his ten thousand year-old plans," Tyrande concluded.

"But all of this is conjecture," Daneel stated. "We need more to go on."

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge?" Tyrande said with a smile. "What do you suggest?"

"We would need to meet this druid survivor and hear her own account of what happened in that forest," Daneel replied indicating himself and Demira. "Perhaps she can tell us more about what she felt, sensed, and even smelled during that encounter. Those might hold vital clues as to what this Thera'gon was using. If it was the dark side of the Force I will know…and if it is arcane Demira will know. Either way we will be closer to understanding what he is doing."

"I can make that happen," Shandris said as she began to leave the room. She stopped and turned back to face the rest of them. "We can leave whenever you are ready." She looked at Tyrande. "With your blessing, of course."

"Of course you have it," she replied while walking towards the jedi. She stopped and looked down at him. "Do what you can, Master Jedi," the High Priestess of Elune said to him using the honorific. "You have my full blessings and those of Elune to take whatever actions you deem necessary. We cannot afford to have another incident with the Burning Legion on Azeroth. If this truly is Thera'gon…he will try to bring Sargeras back if all his other plans fail. And if he has learned to use the Force as you suggest…then you are the only one I know who can stop him."

"I will do what I can, Lady Tyrande," he replied with a reverent nod. "The jedi way is to serve."


	5. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

**_Part Four: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures_**

Kuro leaned on the railing of the bow of the ship she had boarded while following the blood elf from Ironforge. While she preferred her normal dragon form, now was not a feasible time to track the man except as she was now, the raven haired human woman. A brutish human male approached and slurred some words at her. With a menacing glare he decided against propositioning her and left her alone to watch the sunset. Deep reds and oranges colored the ocean as her long hair billowed in the soft ocean breeze. Undoubtedly he wanted to fornicate with her, but she was in no mood to dabble in the physical debaucheries of mortals. In her youth she had experimented with such petty desires, but they seemed so unnatural to her. As the man stumbled away in his drunken stupor, Kuro wondered if fucking was all mortals ever thought about. Even the blood elf was in a cabin below with an elven whore he had picked up before their departure. Two days now at sea and that was all that man had done except once late at night to come up to piss over the side of the ship. Her initial impression while tracking him from Ironforge was that he was a clever and astute creature, but now as her hunt continued that opinion was greatly lessened. Only the beast he controlled interested her now, and this man despite being the mundane mortal he was could still lead her to where it had come from.

Small waves crashed against the hull of the ship like a metronome as it sailed westward. Ahead and to the left flew an albatross. Kuro watched the bird with a twinge of jealousy. With every fiber of her being she resisted the urge to transform and take flight. Since the death of her patron, Deathwing, she experienced few opportunities to fly in her natural state. While he lived she along with all other black dragons were his thralls. He was their Aspect…the father of their flight…and they did whatever he demanded of them. She was no exception as his voice rang in her head every minute of every day. Then one day the voice was gone and Deathwing was no more. His constant urging to violence and destruction simply vanished. Since then there was only the silence of her own thoughts. His demise left within her a void she yearned to fill with no knowledge of how to do so or where to begin. Before that day his voice gave her purpose…she always knew what she needed to do and what he desired of her. Now she was uncertain. Since his death, Kuro felt lost. But that was not the worst of her existence. She was also hunted. All the rest of her flight was gone. Almost all killed in that final confrontation when Deathwing was slain. Those that survived were hunted down and slaughtered. Only she remained. She envied her brothers and sisters…envied them because they never knew existence without his voice…never knew what it was like to feel lost and without purpose. And they would never know how much the others of their kind hated her because she was a black dragon. She closed her eyes and sighed as the bird left her sight. It was just too dangerous any more to be seen even by these insignificant mortals. All beings these days feared black dragons. It pained her heart to know that despite her power she could never reveal herself and live as she wanted. These days to try was simply too dangerous. No longer did she care to destroy the world as Deathwing desired. Without his voice this much was clear to her…she just wanted to live in peace and simply exist. To live. To fly again and be free. She longed for when those days would return. The Aspects were gone and in her mind red, green, blue, bronze, black…none of those distinctions mattered any more. All flights now regardless of their color were simply dragons. She longed to just be a dragon once again and fly without fear. Hopefully this elf could lead her to a way of redemption by finding out more about these strange creatures. At least for the current time it gave her a purpose.

* * *

Before departing for Rut'theran Village, Daneel and Demira had called Kitali and Zharn. Using a portal invoked by the mage, the couple arrived in Darnassus. While most of the night elves were disturbed by the presence of the orc he was accepted when rumors spread that Tyrande had personally invited him to the city. The rumors were based on fact. Daneel, Demira, Celeste, and Kitali left to find answers to Thera'gon's sudden reemergence while Zharn stayed in Darnassus to provide the High Priestess of Elune with updates on what the other jedi discovered. At the moment he was sitting in a chair and resting next to the very table where Daneel and Tyrande discussed the jedi code earlier. When the priestess entered the room he reached for his cane that was leaning against the table.

"Please," Tyrande began, "remain seated. I imagine with your injury that standing and walking all of the time can be difficult."

"Thank you, my lady," the orc replied patting his cane as she sat in a chair next to him. "It does take its toll at times, but with hard work and dedication I hope to some day walk without this cane. And I wanted to tell you thank you for your hospitality and how much I appreciate it while the others look for this Thera'gon."

"The pleasure is mine," she replied. She noticed he wore brown robes cut in the same fashion as the jedi. It was not common attire for orcs during these times. She had known several orcs in her long life, but only two she would go so far as to call friend. Zharn reminded her of one in particular, Broxigar, whom she had known during the first war with the Burning Legion over ten thousand years before. While this man sitting next to her was not a warrior in the same sense as Brox, his sense of honor was from the same mold. A tear formed at the corner of her eye as she remembered that long lost hero.

"Is…is something the matter?" Zharn asked softly noticing her tear as she wiped it from her eye. "Anything I can help you with?"

She nodded and smiled warmly. "It's just that you remind me of someone I once knew long ago."

"I hope in a good way," he said with a smile.

Tyrande gave a slight chuckle. "Indeed. And he was a very good friend." Zharn nodded. "I must say after what Daneel and Demira told me of what happened to you I am amazed you can now walk…if you don't mind me saying."

"Not at all," the orc replied. "For a long time Kit and I wondered if I would ever walk again."

"How do you think that became possible?"

"As I am sure Daneel and Demira told you, we have been working with the Earthen Ring in the Maelstrom," he said. The priestess nodded. "I think that in helping the elements and Azeroth heal they, in a show of their appreciation for our efforts, have been healing me as well. It's the only reason I can think for why I can walk again." The holocommunicator beeped at his waist. "I am sorry, but if I may?" he asked her. She again nodded. He held the unit and activated the switch. Above the device a three dimensional image of Kitali appeared. Tyrande's eyes gaped at the strange device being used before her. She had been told by Shandris about such technology, but to actually see it… "Hello, hon," he said to the image.

Kitali's image blew a kiss to him. "Hello, yourself," she replied with mirth. "We're about to set sail for Ashenvale and I wanted to check in with you. I miss you already."

"I miss you too," he said. "Tyrande is here as well so she knows how things are progressing."

"That's good. Daneel hopes to find the druids still in Astranaar," she said. "Then we'll probably try to pick up the trail from that village where they were attacked. All goes well we'll have answers soon."

"You take care of yourself," he told her. "Don't do anything crazy."

"I won't," she replied with a smile. "And I'll call you every day. I love you, Zharn."

"I love you too, Kit," he replied. She waved and blew another kiss to him before the image faded. With a sigh he placed the device back into the pouch on his belt. He looked over to see Tyrande wearing a warm smile again. "The…wife," he said pointing to his belt. "She's just…checking in."

"You love each other very much…I can see that plainly," the priestess replied. "May I ask…does it bother you at all that your peoples don't readily accept you as a couple?"

"Not all," he replied. "On both counts. We love each other and that's all that really matters. And if our lives somehow…in some way…make even one or two draenei or orcs think about possibly healing old wounds…then all the better."

"Old wounds," she whispered as she stood. "Funny how all that has been happening lately in Ashenvale is because of old wounds."

"It is indeed," Zharn said. "With an open mind and heart…with a willingness to forgive and forget…old wounds can easily heal. But some people just cannot let go of those old feelings…so those wounds fester and rot. When a person of power cannot move on it's the innocent who suffer. Like the furbolgs…they suffer because one man cannot give up the past and move forward."

"That sounds like something Daneel would say after what he told me about his code," Tyrande started and then her eyes widened at a realization. She turned to look at the smiling orc sitting in his chair leaning forward on his cane. "You follow the code as well…don't you," she stated.

"I will not lie to you, Lady Tyrande," he replied. "I do follow the jedi code…as does Kitali and Demira…and another I will not name at this time."

The priestess walked back to her chair and sat down. Zharn just smiled at her leaning on his cane. "Do you also use this force as he does?" she asked him.

"No," the orc replied. "I am a shaman. Only Daneel and his padawan are Force sensitive to my knowledge. There may be another, but we will ascertain that after the situation with Thera'gon has been resolved. Demira can sense the Force and use it to power her spells as Daneel believes all mages are capable, but she is not near the level of sensitivity as the true jedi's are."

"If you are not as he then why follow his code?"

"Lady Tyrande, I have fought the Scourge and the Burning Legion…I fought against Deathwing during the Cataclysm…I have even been involved during some of the fighting in Pandaria…but in the past two years I have seen things that scare me more than any of those. There are dangers on Azeroth that come from other worlds…other places…and I feel it my duty to protect our home from such dangers."

"Like the sith Daneel has talked about?" Tyrande asked.

"The sith and their technologies are but one example of otherworldly dangers to Azeroth," the orc replied with a wide smile.

"You think there are others?" she asked.

"You are looking at one," he replied with a tilt of his head. "My people come from another world as do Kitali's. Your people struggled and fought against such a foe ten thousand years ago. While I would not go so far as to slay any beings that come to Azeroth I would seek more peaceful transitions than the wars suffered on this world upon the arrival of my people. Centuries before Sargeras brought my people here he brought the sith. How many other species from other parts of the universe has he attempted to bring to this world over the past ten thousand years?"

"And the draenei? Their arrival and existence has been peaceful thus far. They have endeavored to make a positive impact on Azeroth," Tyrande responded.

"While that is true they also crashed here. In their circumstance I would have helped them recover more quickly in order to lessen the crash's impact on the environment. Not all intrusions onto Azeroth require expulsion or violent measures to avoid. A jedi seeks the best solution possible and applies what is necessary to assist in that transition. I would not slaughter orcs because they do not come from Azeroth nor would I do that to the draenei. Both species have had positive and negative impacts. I would strive to lessen the negative and enhance the positive." He leaned his cane back against the table. "What I am saying is that each and every future incursion would require a careful examination before any action is taken. We just have some insight as to what to look for. What we are mostly concerned with for now is what has been left behind by those incursions that have already occurred. My people brought no new technology to Azeroth and the draenei have been discreet with theirs. But the sith, as an example, are gone from this world but their legacies remain. Thera'gon is a perfect case in point. He has latched on to something they left behind…and it is just such occurrences that we wish to alleviate."

"A very noble goal," the priestess said as she leaned back in her chair. "And you raise an interesting point. Just how many other races has Sargeras tried to bring to the world? The very thought is frightening."

"Azeroth holds many secrets, My Lady," Zharn answered. "The wisest course of action would be to deal with what you know and not look for the unknown that may or may not exist."

"You are a very wise man, Zharn," she smiled at him. "I may have underestimated you and for that I apologize."

"No need…but thank you," he replied. "I had a very good teacher. I only hope he can find the answers we need now."

* * *

Adaria leaned against the railing of the balcony adjacent to the room in an inn she shared with her brother in Astranaar. Two rangers guarded their room and two more guarded the entrance to the inn. Two other druids worked diligently with her brother who still struggled for life in the room behind her. The wounds caused by the beast had healed when she took the remaining life energies from the dying furbolgs, but a poison from that creature still plagued him. Aeyrn had not awoken since his injury, and with all of their knowledge of healing the druids could not cure him. Even a priestess of Elune was unsuccessful in purging the poison from his body. Her clenched fist slammed on the railing causing one of the druids to look in her direction. Their younger sister had died fighting the Burning Legion and their parents were killed when Xavius controlled the Emerald Dream and imprisoned the dragon Aspect Ysera. Shan'do Malfurion had saved many by defeating Xavius, but unfortunately her parents were not amongst those who survived. Aeyrn was all the family she had left, and fear gripped her that he might lose his battle with the creature's insidious venom.

As she stood looking out over Astranaar and thoughts of her brother raced through her mind she could not forget that man who caused Aeyrn's suffering. When she closed her eyes she could still hear the screams of the furbolgs as they were electrocuted. Their suffering paved the way for her brother's survival that morning, but still he was dying. Who was this man who called himself Thera'gon? What did he mean when he said Lady Tyrande was an imposter? It was plain for her to see that he was the beast's master and had unleashed it on the furbolgs for some reason, but for the life of her should could not fathom any of the 'why's'. She wanted answers. If Aeyrn died and she was left alone in this world she wanted to know why. She looked out at the trees of the forest beyond the village and could see the mage's face amongst the leaves…taunting her. His red eyes…eyes like no other elf in all of Azeroth possessed…they stared at her from the leaves. A shiver ran down her spine. His visage was one of pure hatred and evil. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them. His face was gone, but another shiver ran down her spine. How could anyone have so much hatred within them? To kill innocents wantonly and without mercy or regret?

Adaria turned at the sounds of commotion behind her. She saw one of the druids confronting a strange human male with a metal visor and plain brown robes. With him was a high elf woman in robes similar to his only red in color, and behind her was a draenei female wearing white robes. The druid was blocking the strange human while arguing with Shandris Feathermoon who apparently had arrived with the three newcomers.

"General," the druid male said blocking the human. "Aeyrn suffers from a malady we do not understand. Even a priestess of Elune cannot heal him. Is it wise to let strangers attempt witch-doctory on him?"

"This man may know more about the creature than any of us," the sentinel general countered. "He may know exactly what ails our friend and how to heal him. Now stand aside and let him try."

With a heavy sigh the druid stepped aside allowing the human to kneel beside Aeyrn's comatose form. Adaria gaped when he raised his hands above her brother's chest and they began to glow a dull golden hew. "What is he doing to my brother?" she said stepping towards the stranger.

"He does have terentatek venom coursing through his veins," the man said without looking up or recognizing that Adaria approached him. She stopped and stared at him trying to understand what he was saying. "I need kolto."

"I brought a couple of packs," the draenei woman said. "I left them downstairs." She turned and left the room.

"Will the kolto heal him?" the high elf asked. Adaria looked at her then back at the human. The glow around his hands had increased and shined brightly. A similar glow also covered Aeyrn's entire body.

"Ideally we would submerse him in a kolto tank for several days. But we don't have any tanks or that much kolto. The best I can do is use the Force to help what kolto we do have neutralize the venom." He finally looked up at the high elf. "I wish that Kai were here. She is a much better healer than I."

"You are a jedi grand master," the woman in red said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You better than anyone can save this man. Remember…there is no emotion, there is peace."

"I have the kolto," the draenei woman said as she returned to the room. In her hands Adaria saw two strange containers with green liquid.

"What is this demonic substance?" the druid asked trying to bock the draenei. The sentinel general intercepted him allowing the woman to join the strange man. "General, I must protest! They are using demon…"

"It is no such thing!" the high elf interrupted. "It is a healing solution from a world far from here. My husband will use it to save your friend."

Adaria was in too much shock to move as things were happening so fast…things she did not quite understand. The draenei woman kneeled on the opposite side of her brother from the human. She removed the green fluid and injected it into her brother. A scream formed at the back of her throat but would not escape her lips. What if the other druid was right and they were using something demonic on her brother?

"Kitali, I need you to use your shamanistic powers and prevent the venom from spreading further. It has not entered his vital organs yet, and we must keep it from doing so," the human said. He looked up at the druid still kneeling by Aeyrn. "I also need your help. What you have managed to accomplish is amazing, and I need you to continue that." She looked up at her partner and Shandris. He shook his head no, but the sentinel general nodded yes. "We must move quickly," the human said causing her to look back at him. "We were almost too late, but if we act quickly we can save this man." The druid hesitated, and the human took one hand and waved it before her face. "You will use your powers to help save this man," he said and then lowered his hand back into position with the other above Aeyrn.

"I will use my powers to help save this man," the female druid said before joining the human and draenei.

"What did he just do to her?" the male druid asked Shandris. He turned to step towards the high elf. "What did he just do?" Shandris restrained him holding him back from the high elf. "What trickery is this?"

"He did what must be done," the woman replied while grabbing Adaria's shoulders. She looked down at the high elf's face. "Were you the one with him when he fought the beast?" Adaria could only nod. "And the elven mage? Did you see that also?"

"What are they doing to Aeyrn?" she asked quietly. "What are they doing to my brother?"

"Adaria, run!" the druid being held be Shandris yelled. "Run and save yourself!" He looked back at the sentinel general. "I cannot believe that you of all people would let these demon followers even touch one of our people!"

"They do not use demonic powers," Shandris replied calmly. "They are here to help us on the full authority of Lady Tyrande."

"How can you say that?" the man asked. "That woman is a high elven mage! We know what they did and what magics they use! They tried to bring Sargeras here!"

"She can be trusted…implicitly," Shandris answered with a knowing look at the high elf.

Adaria watched all of this utterly conflicted. Part of her wanted to do just as the druid demanded, and yet part of her wanted them to save her brother no matter what powers they used or how they did it. She blinked and her vision became blurry. The image of the male elven mage's visage flashed before her eyes as she tried to look at all of them around her. The man's red eyes were everywhere in the room. Her body shook and a deep fear gripped her. Was he behind all of this? Was the druid right and these strangers had come to finish what he had started…to kill her brother?

"Adaria," she heard a woman's voice say softly. She looked down at the smiling face of the high elf. She was smiling at her. "Adaria, my name is Demira. That man is my husband, Daneel, and the draenei with us is named Kitali. They are doing everything they can to save your brother."

"Don't listen to her!" the male druid shrieked. He looked angrily at the sentinel general. "General…she's bewitching her! You must stop this!"

But Adaria kept looking at the woman who said her name was Demira. She had a warm and friendly smile. Her voice was smooth and calm. "Adaria…can you tell me about the man who attacked you? Can you describe him to me?" His face flashed again before her eyes and she shuddered. She smelled the acrid lightning and heard the screams of the furbolgs. She shut her eyes tightly wishing all of it to go away. "Adaria?" she heard the woman ask. She slowly opened her eyes. The mage's visage was gone, but she could still hear the screams…smell the lightning. "Adaria…describe him to me," the woman repeated. "Tell me what he did…what he looked like."

"General…" the male started to protest again.

"His eyes…he had red eyes," Adaria said quietly. The male druid stopped and stared at her…his struggle with the sentinel general briefly stopping. "They looked right at me…at my…at my…soul."

"Did they glow? Like a blood elf?" Demira asked. Adaria shook her head. "What did his eyes look like?"

"She never mentioned this before," the druid said from across the room. Shandris bade him remain quiet.

Adaria looked at the male druid and Shandris, then at the three people hovering over her brother's glowing body, and then back at the smiling woman called Demira. "What did his eyes look like?" she repeated.

"Like…like…human eyes, but red irises…red like blood," Adaria replied shaking. The image of his face coming and going as she spoke…she was remembering vividly his attack. "But there was also…"she said closing her eyes.

"A yellow ring around his pupils?" Demira asked. Adaria's eyes popped open as she nodded back at the woman. "I have seen eyes like his before," she said looking back at the druid with Shandris. "It is a sign of his corruption with the dark side."

"So it is as we feared," Shandris said releasing the now confused druid. "Thera'gon has learned to use this force as Daneel does."

"But where Daneel is a servant of the light," Demira began as she released Adaria's shoulders. "Thera'gon has been seduced by the dark side. His eyes are a telltale sign of its corruption on his body…and his attunement to it. I am afraid he has become very powerful in the dark side of the Force." She looked back at Adaria. "His attack with the lightning is also a sign of his use of the dark side. No jedi uses that kind of attack…it is by its very nature a dark side power."

"It was everywhere," she said to Demira. "He was hovering over the ground and the lighting was at his fingertips…but it also came from nowhere and everywhere. The furbolgs…they…they…" she looked back down at her brother and the three hovering over him. "Can they save him? I used the dying energies of the furbolgs to try and save him. Please…don't let their dying sacrifice be for nothing."

"They will do everything they can to save him," Demira replied. She looked at the male druid and waved for him to come over next to them. He was reluctant at first, but then slowly walked towards them. "Please take her to another room. She needs rest." The man nodded to her as he took Adaria into his arms. "By her reaction I am guessing she has not slept once since coming back here with her brother."

"I won't leave my brother!" Adaria said suddenly very lucid. "I won't!"

"Adaria," the male said calmly causing her to look at him. "There is nothing you can do if you collapse from exhaustion. They are right…you need rest." She nodded as he led her from the room. The entire length of the room her gaze never left her brother. As they neared the sentinel general the male looked at her. "I hope you know what you are doing," he said with a hint of animosity. "For all our sakes."

"So do I," she replied quietly as they left the room. She walked over to stand next to Demira. They watched the shaman, druid, and jedi try to heal Aeyrn. "I guess we found some of our answers."

"That woman has been so traumatized," Demira stated. "I can only wonder what Thera'gon did to her. That attack shouldn't have been more horrific than what we encountered with the Burning Legion or the Scourge. He had to have done something to her."

"Or it was simply seeing her brother lying on the ground bleeding and dying," Shandris replied causing Demira to look up at her. "That woman lost her parents a few years ago…and their younger sister was killed while we fought the Burning Legion in Outland."

"You know them…I mean their family?" the mage asked.

"I knew their sister," Shandris replied finally looking at her. "She was a strong ranger directly under my command. I mourned her passing as I did all the rangers who died at the hands of the Legion…" She looked back at the three healing Aeyrn. "It's a hard thing to be the last of your family."

"I know the feeling," Demira replied joining the sentinel's gaze. Shandris cast a side glance at her before looking back down at the healing before them. "I lost two brothers and a sister to the Scourge. I was the youngest. The undead…they were from all different races…and they didn't care what race we were. They just killed any living thing they saw. And then the Legion came and they didn't care what race we were either. I guess that's why I don't care about racial distinctions myself. If our enemies don't care…why should I?"

"This world needs more people who think like you, Demira. The more I get to know you the more I like you. I am amazed we had never met before that day at your home," Shandris said with a smile. "We have seen too many wars amongst ourselves let alone when something like the Legion or the Scourge comes along.

"That's very true," Demira replied and then smiled widely. "I am pretty amazing." The sentinel rolled her eyes before laughing with the mage…a perfect moment to lessen the tension as the three healers worked diligently to save Aeyrn's life.

* * *

Kuro stood on the deck contemplating her next move. Ahead of her members of the ship's crew were fashioning a noose and hanging it from a yardarm. That elven fool she was tracking had apparently in a drunken stupor killed the whore he brought aboard with him. Murder was punishable by death amongst the mortals, and on the high seas justice was meted expeditiously. The man was her only link to the strange creature he controlled back near Ironforge, but to save him meant exposing herself. As far as the mortals knew only Wrathion still lived from the black dragonflight. She didn't care much for the whelp. She briefly thought about sparing the elf's life by destroying the ship and all aboard, but that would actually count against any argument she made for redemption in the eyes of any being on Azeroth. Besides…she no longer had the desire for wanton destruction as she did under Deathwing's control. She didn't want to kill the crew, but she couldn't just let them kill him either no matter what crime he committed…the knowledge he possessed was simply too valuable. But to save this man she would have to fly him from the ship since they were still days out from land. Doing so would let the rest of the world…and that whelp…know of her existence. Inwardly she cursed the idiot. He struggled with the guards as they brought him from below decks. Dried blood was still smeared on his exposed chest and face…it was caked on his hands. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Was there another way to find redemption in the other flights' eyes? Surely Alexstrasza would want to know about the strange creature. It was unlike any other beast on Azeroth. The former Aspect of Life would want to know of its existence.

Kuro watched as two crewmen brought the noose over the elf's head. He swore at them and spat in their faces as they laughed. The captain of the vessel merely grinned as he proudly pronounced sentence on the murderer. Her fingers elongated into claws. Once she made her move there would be no going back. The rope tightened and the elf's feet kicked in the air as he hung by his neck…his hands secured behind his back. The crew laughed. In that instant her decision was made and the die was cast. She bellowed an inhuman roar as she jumped towards the spectacle. Laughter stopped as heads turned to see the woman transform into a black dragon before their eyes. Flames shot forth from her nostrils burning the rope strung around the elf's neck. Eyes bulging and face turning purple he passed out as the rope snapped. She caught him in mid-fall and was out over the ocean within a blink of an eye. Her giant wings snapped lines holding the sails and they fell to the deck behind her as she flew from the ship. The stunned crew never shouted at her until she was long from their sight, but she knew that once they repaired their sails and reached the nearest harbor word would spread of the black dragon that had wrecked their ship. That news would spread like wildfire from town to town until eventually that whelp, Wrathion, would learn of her existence.

She glanced down at the unconscious elf in her paw. What he could tell her had better be important or all was lost. In that second as she let the winds lift her higher she reached another decision. Her secret was out no matter what she did. Perhaps if she took this man to some of the mortals and sought their help they could learn what she needed. That would mean submitting to them and whatever justice they would seek against her for her past crimes, but better that than waiting for Wrathion to hunt her down. If ever there was a time to begin her dream of redemption now was the time. But would any of them believe she came in peace? Surveying the land ahead she recognized the forests of Ashenvale. 'The night elves,' she thought to herself. 'Of all the races in Azeroth perhaps they more than the others will understand.' The kaldorei were linked to Ysera through their druids. If she could plead her case to the former aspect and make She of the Dreaming understand her desire for redemption…then she in turn could reach the others like her sister, Alexstrasza. Yes…she would take this elf to the night elves. But not their capitol of Darnassus…that would be too much and they would never listen to her pleas for leniency. Better to head to their city of Astranaar. She angled her wings to let the wind take her there. Her plan now was perhaps both foolish and reckless. It in all likelihood would lead to her death, but at least there was some hope that she would succeed…if the kaldorei would even listen to her.


	6. There Be Dragons Here

**_Part Five: There Be Dragons Here_**

Raeva Moonstrider approached the bar in the small inn. Her red hair hung braided to the small of her back leaving her highly distinctive elven ears exposed for the other patrons in the bar to see. Red coloring highlighted her pouty lips on a face many of the men around her could not help but stare at…or at the exposed cleavage of her ample bosom on her thin yet athletic frame. The tight dress she wore covered the rest of her body but left little else to the imagination of the men around her. She heard a few of them whispering as she passed, and no doubt she would bed one of them tonight. She needed such a diversion to take her mind off the failure in Mulgore and the upcoming confession to her master. He would be very displeased. If Malfus had been successful in Ironforge, Thera'gon would be even more angered with her failure and the loss of the terentatek. She sat on a stool and ordered a strong drink from the innkeep behind the counter. The goblin charged her more than she thought it was worth, but for the time being there was no other choice. Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge was the only neutral place to stay before she departed for Silithus. At least the normal bartender, Daisy, was on a vacation. Raeva didn't want the extra competition this night though she knew she could have her pick of any man in the bar and if the mood suited her more than one. She sighed realizing all of her thoughts of fucking were just a diversion. Thera'gon's plans were to use all three beasts to attack and slaughter the night elves and now because of her there were only two left. Because of his obsession with Azshara he would accept no failures and his punishments were harsh. She shook her head as she accepted the drink from the bartender and brought the glass to her mouth. She closed her eyes and inhaled the musky smell before sipping the alcoholic beverage. Its fire warmed her like a comforting embrace as it slid down her throat.

Why had she let him convince her that they could even return things to the way they were thousands of years ago? She was a lowly handmaiden to the queen then….not even worthy of being in the same room most of the time. It was by blind luck or unfortunate circumstance that she was in Eldre'Thalas when the Well of Eternity collapsed. Since that time she had lived amongst the sin'dorei as one of them. Fifty years ago Thera'gon had approached her about his plans. At the time she was very interested. She missed the fine clothing she wore while serving Azshara…and her status in the world. A lowly handmaiden she might have been but still much higher standing in elven society than ninety percent of the population. But in blood elven society she was a nobody…a random face in the crowd. She wasn't special or revered. Seeing a chance at a return to her former status as someone important, she agreed to join him. Afterwards she met the red skinned man named Narcis. He taught her new magics…powerful magics. For forty years she absorbed all the man could teach her…and also became the man's lover. Thera'gon and Malfus…who joined them later…never knew of her affair with the sith nor did they ever learn of her child by that man.

Raeva took another sip as she thought of her daughter living somewhere in the north. To protect their daughter, Narcis suggested a hiding place far from where he lived and where they trained in the Force. He knew that Thera'gon would never stand aside while a sith child lived. So focused was the old highborne on his plans to restore Zin'Azshari that he would see her daughter as a distraction not only for her but for their sith master. At the first opportunity he would slay the child…and then slay Narcis. He was a powerful sith lord, but Narcis was old and dying…and both he and Raeva knew it. So Raeva had taken her daughter to a remote location in Northrend. There she met another red skinned man like Narcis. She remembered the man looked at her daughter with mild disgust…she was elven in appearance and no indication of any sith blood in her. Raeva took another sip of her drink. She had not seen her daughter since that day. Because of the need for secrecy she was never named by Raeva or Narcis and now with sadness she realized she never knew her daughter's name. She'd be in her thirties by now. Raeva brought her hand to her forehead. Why was she even thinking of returning to Thera'gon? His plans were folly for Azshara was either dead or really was the queen of the naga as rumors suggested. There would never be a return to a world like before the Sundering. What she realized now was that she wanted to find her long lost daughter.

A muscular human with dark hair tied into a ponytail and mostly trimmed goatee sat at the bar next to her. He didn't stink which was a plus compared to most of the men around her. He turned to face her and rested his left arm on the counter…a gold coin twirling in his fingers. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked her in a gruff voice.

"I already have one," she replied showing him the glass with about two pulls left.

"Shame," he said with a smile and a wave to the bartender. The goblin turned around and filled a mug full of ale and placed it in front of the human. He lifted the mug and took and swig and slammed it back on the bar sloshing some of the ale over the lip. A crash behind them caused them both to look back to see a two humans and an orc fighting. "Damn! Capn's not going to like this."

"Problem?" she asked.

"I'm first mate on a ship bound for Northrend," he replied. Her interest in this man immediately turned in his favor. She checked her coinpurse hoping she might book passage on his ship. Inside were only two gold coins. She cursed Thera'gon for his frugality. "Those men will be locked away once the Brute Squad arrives," he continued. "Most likely he'll just leave 'em behind when we set sail in the morning."

"You're bound for Northrend, you say?" He was exactly what she needed to get to her daughter…or at least the last place she knew where her daughter was, but two gold coins would not be enough for passage. There had to be another way to get on this man's ship.

"Aye, hauling some weird equipment for some gnomes up there. Stuff I have never seen before," he replied turning back to his drink and ignoring the fight still raging behind them. "Shame I can't get you a drink. Will be a long time before I see a pretty woman like you again." He took a long pull of ale.

Raeva downed the last of her glass and stood up. She walked up to the man as he placed his mug back on the bar. Running her hand along his thigh she leaned in close to his ear as her hand reached his crotch. "Come with me if you want to get your cock wet," she whispered. Seducing him for passage to Northrend would not be the worst thing she had done in her life, and for a chance to see her daughter again any price was worth paying. She gave him a coy smile and a squeeze as he tossed the gold coin he had been playing with at the bartender.

* * *

Kuro sat in a cage with a magical collar attached to a chain that was meant to keep her from transforming into her dragon form. A revolving contingent of four night elven sentinels stood guard over her since her capture and imprisonment. When she arrived in Astranaar she was in her human form with the elf in tow. The man woke when they landed about a half day's walk from the town, but despite that she saved his life he would not talk to her. She had not even ascertained his name. The night elves intercepted them about a league out. They instantly knew what she was and she surrendered without incident once they reached the edge of Astranaar. Her only plea to them was to guard the man who was a murderer. Whether the kaldorei listened to her she still did not know since she had not seen him in her day-long imprisonment. In fact, no one had come to interrogate her after she had been locked in the cage. She hadn't even been fed or given water to drink. Perhaps they meant to starve her to death…a thought that brought a chill to her spine. Several times she offered to tell the guards everything they wanted to know, but the revolving sentinels never said a word in reply. So now she sat in her cage with legs pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. She rested her chin on her knees hoping someone would take an interest in at least why she was still alive and what she was doing with a sin'dorei prisoner.

Hours passed as she sat watching a beetle on the ground. Finally a kaldorei woman approached with a small group. She was dressed as a sentinel but with much finer armoring than the guards leading Kuro to believe she might be their commander. Behind her was a human with a metal visor, a quel'dorei woman, and a draenei female. Behind them was a kaldorei man and woman dressed in simple leathers and another human…a woman with long blonde hair and was the shortest of all those present. Kuro guessed the rearmost kaldorei to be druids, but the three in the middle were who she found interesting. What were they here for?

"And she held the other man prisoner?" she heard the human male ask the lead sentinel as they got closer. They stopped just in front of her cage with the man standing next to the kaldorei sentinel. Kuro's guards stood some distance behind them but still watchful of her. "Interesting she would come here where she would have to know you could tell who she really was."

"And we would have believed his story had you not been here, Master Jedi," the woman replied to the human. She looked at Kuro with disdain. "Still…I do not trust this beast no matter her reasoning."

"It does not matter if you trust me, night elf," Kuro stated. "Did you find out anything from that man that was with me? Did he tell you where the creature he controlled came from?"

The man and woman looked at each other then back at her. He came closer to the cage and knelt so that he was eye level with her. "What creature? He mentioned nothing of controlling anything. He only stated that he was your prisoner and that you had tortured him," the woman said.

Kuro shook her head. "No…I followed him after this creature he controlled was killed by the dwarves near Ironforge. It was a beast like nothing I have ever seen before." The quel'dorei and draenei looked at each other and then came closer to stand behind the human male.

"This creature," the man said to her. "Describe it to me."

"It was mostly in ruin when I arrived. The dwarves had used explosives to kill it. That explosion was what attracted me to the area in the first place. But what was left of it was the head. Judging by its size the creature had to stand twenty to twenty-five feet tall. Its crest was triangular shaped and it had at least one tusk left coming from near its mouth."

"Another terentatek? How many did Thera'gon make?" the quel'dorei asked.

"You said this one was in dwarven territory?" the man asked Kuro. She nodded her reply. "Curious."

"Yes…curious indeed," the sentinel agreed. "Why were you there, black dragon?" she asked Kuro. "What interest did you have with the dwarves?"

"There is nothing about my reasoning I could tell you that you would believe," Kuro replied. She looked at the two druids. "You…I know your order communes with Ysera. You must tell her about this creature so that she can tell her sister. Alexstrasza must learn of its existence."

"What is the connection of these furbolgs and dwarves to the night elves?" the man inquired. "We know that Thera'gon has made a threat against the kaldorei, but there aren't enough in Ironforge to warrant sending a terentatek there. And the one here in Ashenvale was targeting furbolg villages…not night elven ones. Why? What's the connection?"

"Perhaps that Malfus knows the connection," the draenei offered to the man called master jedi. "You said you could sense the dark side in him and saw through his deception. Surely he's working with Thera'gon and knows why."

"What does any of that matter?" Kuro asked causing them all to look at her. "If you know of another then Alexstrasza must be told of their existence. The Life Binder will know what to do even if she is no longer an Aspect. You must get this information to her!"

"Why is that so important to you?" the sentinel asked. "What is it you expect to gain?"

"What do I want to gain?" Kuro asked looking at the night elf. "I want my life back!" The night elf scoffed. "Only the other dragonflights can do that. I know you may not believe me, but that does not matter. All that matters is that she knows."

"And you think that by telling her of these creatures that she will just forgive you for all you and your flight have done? Especially to her flight?" the sentinel asked.

"No," Kuro replied lowering her head back to rest on her knees. "I know I can never make amends for what I have done…but I have to at least try…and I have to start somewhere."

"That is something we can worry about later," the jedi interrupted. "What we need to do is learn about the connection between these two races and why Thera'gon is interested in attacking them. If we can ascertain that then we might have an answer to how many more he created."

"The only connection I can think of goes back to our first war with the Burning Legion," the sentinel said to the jedi. "The furbolgs, earthen, and tauren all aligned with us in that war. It's the only connection that he would concern himself with."

"That has to be the connection," the quel'dorei stated. She turned to face the two druids. "I bet there is a third one in Mulgore attacking the tauren. You still have connections to their druids, right?" she asked them. Both the man and woman nodded. "You must get word to them as quickly as possible. They may already be under attack. Tell them how to defeat it like Aeyrn did here in Ashenvale. Hurry! Lives are at stake!" With a nod the two druids quickly ran off leaving the rest standing or kneeling before Kuro's cage.

The sentinel brought her hand to her forehead. "He's attacking our allies first before coming after us."

"That would seem to be the logical conclusion," the jedi answered. "Besides those three races did you have other allies in that war?"

"There were the demigods, but most of them were killed during the fighting. There aren't enough left for him to concern himself with as he has with the others. The dragons were also there at the end…all but the black dragons," she said as she looked at Kuro.

"Would he try to attack the dragons like he did the others?" the blonde human said finally speaking. Kuro liked her voice.

"Not with terentateks," the jedi replied. "They would not be big enough." He stood up and turned to walk a few paces away from them. He looked up into the trees. "There is only one creature created through dark side alchemy that I can think of that could attack dragons with a reasonable chance of success." He turned and looked at the draenei and quel'dorei. "They were another creation of Karness Muur…or at least from his time during the Hundred Year Darkness…leviathans."

"Leviathans…" the quel'dorei said as her voice trailed off. She closed her eyes and shuddered. "Another creation from that monster." She walked to the man and wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.

"And I thought the rakghouls were bad enough," the draenei stated as she looked at the ground. "If these are capable of taking on dragons…"

"What's a leviathan?" Kuro asked making them all look at her. "What kind of creature are you talking about?"

"They were large creatures," the jedi began. "As large as dragons or larger in some cases. In adulthood they had large blister traps on their backs that absorbed the life energies of its victims. Tentacles around their mouths they used to snatch their prey and place them into the blister traps. They could store these energies for extended periods of time. Those who were sensitive to the Force could hear the screams of the victims. Some jedi were driven mad. Worse was that they also absorbed the knowledge of their victims as well as their life energies…and those were transferred to the one controlling the beast." He looked at Kuro. "Some leviathans could also project fire…like a dragon."

Kuro quickly stood and stepped to the front of the cage. The chain to her collar tensed holding her from reaching the bars. "You must warn them! You must tell the other flights about the danger!"

"What would you care what happens to the other flights?" the sentinel asked her. "The black dragonflight has been at war with the other flights for millennia."

"There is no more black dragonflight!" Kuro answered. The sentinel furrowed her brow at Kuro's response. "I am all that remains. I do not care what color the other flights are…they are dragons…all of them…and they must be warned of the danger."

"She's right," the draenei stated. "Regardless of her motives the dragons must be warned. Thera'gon already has one defeat…and if he learns of others he will accelerate his plans. I think Daneel is also right…he'll attack the dragons."

The short human turned and ran towards one of the nearby buildings. "I'll have the druids contact Ysera," she said as she left.

"I'll call Zharn and tell him what we have learned. He will pass on this new information to Tyrande. She will want to know as well," the draenei said as she also turned to leave the area.

"Shandris," the jedi said to the sentinel.

Kuro looked in the woman's direction. 'So this was the famous sentinel general who answers only to the leader of the night elves,' she thought.

"You must fortify this village and prepare for a war," he told her. "I suspect he will try to attack this area again. His animosity towards your people is greater than I imagined."

"That's easier said than done, Master Jedi," Shandris replied. "It might be easier to evacuate than to fortify our position after hearing about the creatures you describe."

"But they are not invincible," Daneel countered. "Like the terentateks they can be defeated by unconventional means. In my galaxy they were defeated and their threat ended during the Hundred Year Darkness and that was thousands of years ago. None have been seen since that conflict. I imagine Thera'gon will have created his to specifically attack the dragons and be immune or nearly so to their powers. I think he expected the same of his terentateks, but he forgot a few things."

"Like druids and explosives," the quel'dorei said still hugging him. She looked at Shandris. "His plans are based on ten thousand year old information…he's not privy to what has happened or what exists in the world now…or he doesn't think such things important."

"And a lot has changed since then," the sentinel added with a grin. "Like the arrival of orcs and draenei…the gnomes and their technological achievements…the dwarves are much more advanced since that time…humans are also a major force on this world now…and then there are other things…" her voice trailed off for a few seconds. She turned to look at the woman hugging the jedi. "Demira…I think we need to get Kalecgos involved in this also and not just because he's a former Aspect. I'll need your assistance in reaching him."

The woman nodded as she left the man's side and joined Shandris as they both left the area leaving the jedi with the dragon. He turned as if to leave and then looked at Kuro.

"So why did you come here of all places?" he asked her. "Surely you knew what would happen when you arrived here?"

"I didn't have much choice," Kuro replied lifting her chin. "For me it was the safest place…and the only place I felt I could get answers about the creature. Seems I was right about that."

"And if they had decided to kill you for being a black dragon? Would you have attacked these people? Or would you still have submitted? I am sure you had thought about what to do then?" He walked to stand in front of her cage. "I don't sense that you want to die."

"Is it so hard for you to imagine I might be peaceful, human?" she replied. "Yes I knew they might attack and I had decided to accept whatever punishment they might attempt. But it wasn't them I really wanted to talk to. I wanted their druids to call Ysera. It is she whom I wish to answer to…and I still do once the danger is passed."

"Why not just go to them directly? Why come here and expect the night elves to make contact for you?"

"For the same reason I did not come here in my natural form," she replied. "The other flights hate me…I know this. But if she sees me as a willing prisoner of this lesser species…then she might listen to what I have to say. Otherwise I am positive they would attack me outright if I tried to make direct contact with them."

"Because you feel you are innocent of what they believe you guilty of?" he asked as he sat cross-legged on the ground before the cage.

Kuro laughed as she sat down and assumed the same position she was in when they first came to her cage. "Oh…I am guilty….guilty of a great many things, human." She rested her head on her knees. "I am simply tired of looking over my shoulder all of the time. I don't expect you to know what it's like to be the only one of your kind, human, so I will spare you the details." The jedi smiled at the dragon, reached up to his visor, and removed it. Kuro lifted her head and gasped at what she saw before he placed the visor back on his head. "What are you?" she asked quietly.

"I am the only one of my kind on Azeroth," he replied.

* * *

Malfus examined the bars to his cell. After his interrogation they had left only one sentinel to guard him, and upon meeting the strange humans bristling with the Force he felt compelled to escape. Besides Thera'gon, Raeva, and himself he knew of no others alive who knew about the Force…until now. He also knew they did not believe his story that he was a prisoner of the dragon. Nothing was going as planned. He reached out to touch one of the bars. Like most things around this place it was made of wood but enchanted, probably by the druids, so that it would be tougher than steel. He closed his eyes and stretched out through the Force. The lock could be picked, and with careful manipulations through the Force it snapped open. He opened his eyes to see if the guard had heard the lock, but the sentinel never moved. Glowering he looked at the guard and reached out to touch her mind. Killing her would draw too much attention, so he used his influence to make her drowsy. The woman reached up to stifle a yawn. She looked to her left and then right. Malfus pushed harder and suddenly the woman fell to the ground asleep. He tensed awaiting another guard to appear, but after a minute nothing happened. He pushed on the door to his cell opening it. He calmed his breathing as he cloaked himself in a shroud of the Force. He would be nearly invisible to the naked eyes of any wanderers he might encounter as he made his escape.

Malfus kept to the shadows once he left his prison. His surroundings disgusted him. These kaldorei wore such drab clothing and the architecture of their buildings was plain and uninspired. How he longed for the fine linens and bright colors from his youth. The kaldorei were much better when Azshara was their ruler compared to now. That was the height of their civilization and all of it was due to their magnificent queen. The night elves now lived in squalor. Even that woman back on the ship could not appreciate how much the elven race had fallen. She had even gone so far as to disparage the queen and for that he had enacted swift justice. No one can deny the perfection of Azshara. No one. When Thera'gon had approached him thirty-five years ago and told him of the plan to restore their queen and a newfound power that would guarantee their success, Malfus was quick to join the other highborne. He stopped at a corner of a hut and scanned the nearby pathway. Thera'gon was doing all of this because he assumed he would become the queen's consort. The fool. Only he, Malfus, was worthy of being Azshara's one true consort. Even the red man called Narcis saw this truth. Many a time they would talk about how misdirected Thera'gon was. As his teacher taught him more and more about the Force…this new power that would lead them back from the edge of ruin…lead them back to more prosperous times…the more the truth of Thera'gon's obsession was revealed. The true power of the Force was that it was everywhere and in everything. Arcane magics could be more powerful, but the energies to harness such power were limited. The Sunwell was simply not large enough to power what he and the others wanted without drawing the attentions of the other races of Azeroth. Such a drain on the already limited Sunwell would certainly attract said unwanted attention. Fel energies were simply out of the question as they had already proven to be a failure…the ancient war taught them all that. But the Force was everywhere because life was everywhere. It was created by life and as long as it existed so did the Force. And…no one on Azeroth was aware of its existence…at least that was what they thought until he met the two humans here in Astranaar.

While Thera'gon wanted to restore Azshara and be her consort, Malfus wanted more…much more. He also wanted to restore Azshara, but as the ruler of the entire world not just the elves. Thera'gon also felt Azshara would grant him the prize of being her consort, but Malfus would command it…not as a prize from her…but as her tribute to his greatness. When Narcis died Thera'gon was left in charge of their revolution, but always he would wait until the right moment to strike the fool down. Malfus would then take his rightful place as leader and ruler. Raeva would side with him when the time came. She worried about her daughter she thought she kept secret from them, but he knew. It was leverage that would prove vital when the time came. Thera'gon would be a means to his end…a way to usher Malfus to the role of Emperor of the World.

He almost took a step into the open when the young human woman ran past him. Her brown robes fluttering as she passed, and he spied on her hip a metal cylinder. He knew what it was. Thera'gon had taken Narcis' weapon when the old man died. It was called a light saber. He had seen the old man use it…had even touched it once himself. He remembered the feeling of power in his hands as the red blade activated. And this woman possessed such a weapon. A smile crept on the elf's face as he realized that with her weapon he could kill more night elves in this village than any creature they had created. He followed her as she ran past one building then another oblivious to his shadowing her. She stopped in front of a large hut several pathways from when he first spotted her. Reaching out through the Force he seized the weapon. It flew from her hip and across the open space to his hand. She spun on her heel and looked right at him. The Force cloak evaporated and she along with several night elves gasped at his sudden appearance. None of that mattered now that he had her weapon. He looked at the hilt and a feeling of exhilaration almost overwhelmed him. The old sith's weapon had one thumb contact to activate the power within, but this one had two. It must have twice the power as the other. His smile widened as he pointed the weapon at the blonde human. She stood still watching him…her exposed abdominal muscles flexing with each breath she took. Shame…at some other time he might have enjoyed bedding her, but not this day. He took a deep breath and activated both contacts. He imagined the power this weapon would unleash. A violet blade extended from the end pointed at the woman…and another extended from the end near his chest. The blade penetrated his flesh and he gasped. The shock and pain caused his grip to loosen and break contact with the dual switches. The blades extinguished as he dropped the hilt to the ground before falling to his knees. He looked at the human who was slowly walking towards him.

"T-t-two b-b-blades?" he rasped. Malfus fell dead to the ground before the woman could answer him.

* * *

Two days after the death of Malfus; Shandris, Demira, Adaria, and Kitali perused a map in the main building the sentinels used as a headquarters in Astranaar. Aeyrn was showing signs of improvement since the terentatek venom had been neutralized in his system. News of his miraculous turnaround had spread quickly through the town and the four jedi's were seen as heroic saviors. But they were not the only source of gossip as many discussed the black dragon being held prisoner near the edge of Astranaar and the strange death of the blood elf seemingly by his own hands. Malfus' death was a setback the sentinel general did not take lightly. She disliked relying on a black dragon as their only remaining source of information about the terentateks beyond Ashenvale. Aeyrn's improvement also marked a sudden change in his sister. Knowing that he was recovering and would survive his ordeal, she had returned to normalcy and provided the jedi and his companions with as much information as she could. She recounted every detail about the encounter with the beast as well as Thera'gon. She still suffered nightmares about the elf, so both Demira and Kitali spent the evenings with her hoping to lessen the burden on the druid's mind. While Celeste was apologetic about Malfus' demise blaming herself for his death, Daneel had assured her that she was not to blame. To keep her occupied he had sent her Darnassus hoping she could find out who Malfus was and what his former connection to Thera'gon might have been. The two had to have a past before recent events. Daneel himself was in the nearby forest meditating. Shandris sent two sentinels to protect him. While he assured her that he did not need protection she sent them anyway.

"Any news from Mulgore?" Kitali asked as the four women examined the map. She stood with her arms crossed at the far end of the table from Shandris. Both she and Demira wore robes similar to the same they wore when they first arrived to Darnassus. The elf was in her favorite red attire and Kitali in her white. Around the table with the map Demira was to her left and Adaria to her right.

"Nothing as of yet, but it's only been two days," the druid replied. She wore her hair in a ponytail. Her sleeveless brown jerkin was laced in the front revealing her skin between her breasts and along her stomach. Demira mentally noted that her physical conditioning was on par with her husband's padawan. "It may take nearly a week before we learn anything from the taurens."

"Has your husband mentioned anything to you?" Shandris asked the mage. Her suit of armoring was replaced by full body leathers. Her bow was slung on her back and a quiver of arrows hung from her left hip. Demira shook her head in response to the general's question. "What is it he hopes to learn out there?"

"With what Adaria told us about Thera'gon's attack near the furbolg village he is convinced that there must be a presence of the dark side on this continent. He is hoping to sense it."

"You mean beyond the man himself?" the sentinel asked.

"To create these beasts would take more dark side energy than one man can possess," Demira answered. "He mentioned it would take something called a dark side nexus to generate that much energy to mutate a creature. He is hoping to sense where that place is. If he can…then he will also most likely find where these things were created and where Thera'gon might be returning to."

"I believe I hear the answer to my next question," Shandris said as a commotion outside drew their attention. She turned to the sentinel guarding the door. "Please go outside and bring our guests here." The guard nodded and turned to follow her orders. All four women waited as they watched the door. After a couple of minutes two elven women entered. One was dressed in red armoring with long red hair. Her appearance was that of a high elf with a reddish tint to her skin. Next to her was a violet skinned night elf with green armoring matching that of the one in red. Both women had long elegant horns protruding upwards and backwards from their heads. The four women bowed at the two newcomers…Alexstrasza and Ysera. "You honor us with your presence," Shandris said to them.

"The honor is ours," Ysera replied. The sisters walked towards the table. Shandris stepped to one side allowing the two former dragon Aspects to join them at the table. "To receive word of a possible danger to all dragons from an old and respected friend…"

"And word that you have a black dragon as a prisoner," Alexstrasza added. "We were compelled to come see this lone survivor and hear about this danger."

"I'm not sure how to talk to them," Kitali whispered leaning over to Demira. "I mean…they are Aspects." The mage shrugged her shoulders not sure of an answer herself.

"Address as you would any other," Ysera said with a smile. "We are Aspects no longer." She looked at her sister. "I believe the one in red is the one Kalecgos has mentioned to us."

The Life Binder walked around the table towards Demira. As the dragon got closer the mage felt uncertain about suddenly being the focus of her scrutiny. She turned her back to the table and leaned on it with both hands. Her eyes searched the room as the former Aspect stopped before her. Alexstrasza looked the mage up and down with a stern look on her face. Demira felt beads of sweat forming on her brow. She looked to Kitali for help, but the draenei only shook her head. She didn't know what to do either. After a minute the dragon stepped back and smiled at the mage.

"Kalecgos speaks high praise of you and your spouse," Alexstrasza said to Demira. "I can sense that he does you a great disservice…I sense much more in you than he mentioned….a great deal more."

"Um…thanks…I guess?" she stammered in reply.

"Indeed," Ysera added. "A mortal woman that can hold him to an oath he will not break to inform even us indicates a remarkable individual. You are amongst only a few mortals any dragon would swear an oath to let alone keep it from the rest of the dragonflights or former Aspects."

"But we will not ask you to divulge such secrets to us," Alexstrasza said as she walked back to join her sister at the head of the table. Demira breathed a sigh of relief. "He has great faith in you two and so too shall we." When she returned to her sister's side she addressed all of the women. Demira turned back and felt the tension lessen throughout her body. "Now…what can you tell us about these strange creatures?"

"We meant to have Kalecgos here as well, but we have not been able to locate him," Shandris stated. "Lady Proudmore insists he is dealing with something from his past and was unavailable." The two dragons nodded. "However, this is what we know and what we think is happening as of this moment…" and for the next couple of hours she along with Demira, Kitali, and Adaria informed the sisters of everything including Daneel's theory about the leviathans.

* * *

Raeva stood at the base of a remote mountain in Northrend. As fortune favored her when she boarded the ship headed to this continent she met a mage who had also booked passage. A single night of pleasure with first mate she met at the bar got her on the ship, and then a second night got the mage to open a portal for her to a location not far from here. A wind howled that chilled her to the bone and blowing snow obscured her vision. She pulled the fur cloak around tighter attempting to warm herself at least a little. It wasn't the best cold weather gear but the best she could find on the ship before stepping through the mage's portal. This part of Northrend was largely uninhabited and very few even ventured to this mountain range. But for Raeva it was the second time she stood in this very spot looking up at the barely visible fortress high above her. To anyone else they would not even see an unnatural structure, but she knew exactly what to look for and where. The red skinned beings called sith had built this fortress more than seven hundred years ago. It was camouflaged so well with the environment that no native of Azeroth…not even the dragons…had ever discovered it or the secrets within.

A single tear welled at the corner of her eye before freezing on her cheek as it slowly fell. The last time she stood in this spot her daughter was barely a month old. She had protested with Narcis that the child was too young to make such a journey, but he insisted they left at once before Thera'gon discovered their secret love child. Narcis was never a loving kind in the sense of most men she had known, but he did care for the child more than any man she knew ever would. Their daughter was the only child he had ever sired according to his confession one night. She would be the last vestige of his race…his legacy. It was because of that confession that Raeva made the journey to find this other being of Narcis' race. Would that man still live? Or would her daughter be all alone high atop this mountain? Was she even here if the other had perished? She pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind. The answers were up there in that fortress…and the only way to get them was to get up there. With a deep sigh she started walking to the hidden entrance that led to a tunnel and then a lift that would take her up…she hoped…to her daughter.

* * *

Kuro sat in her cage waiting for them to finally come talk to her. She knew Ysera and Alexstrasza had arrived…it was the only thing the night elves could talk about. Her fate…her very existence…would soon be decided by the two former Aspects. She hugged her knees tighter as she rested her chin on them. The jedi was right, of course, in that she did not want to die. If that was their decision, however, then she would die…and that did not bother her. Living in fear as she had since the demise of Deathwing was much worse than death. Kuro was calm in that no matter what they decided for her she would no longer live in fear. She would plead with them for her life if they allowed it, but she wasn't even sure if Alexstrasza would listen to her. Of all the dragons the Life Binder had more reason to hate her as a black dragon than any other. It was her flight that caused the red's enslavement by the orcs during the second war. Many of Alexstrasza's own children were slain because of what her kind had done. She could not fault the former Aspect of Life to simply pass judgment before even seeing her. Kuro hoped that would not be the case when the time came, but she was ready to accept it should that be her fate.

Kuro had imagined this day many times over the past few years. Her eyes scanned the bars of her cage. She felt the coldness of the metal of the collar about her neck. She had never imagined meeting Alexstrasza like this. If death was her sentence would she even be allowed to die as a dragon? Or would she suffer her demise in this form? She looked down at the ground before her feet and closed her eyes. As accustomed as she was to this form she hoped they would at least let her die as she was meant to…as a dragon. She breathed deeply and let her mind wander. She did not sense her approach.

"How is it you are still alive?" Alexstrasza asked standing alone outside the cage. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked down at Kuro. She opened her eyes and looked up at the queen of the dragons. "And what makes you think I would have any reason to believe anything that you say?"


	7. The True Mastermind

**_Part Six: The True Mastermind_**

Thera'gon walked up to a statue of his queen in the ruins of Eldre'thar. The failure in Ashenvale weighed heavily on his soul as he pondered what had gone wrong. The terentatek should have been unstoppable. Nothing could penetrate its hide…he was certain he had created it thusly, but still the two druids had destroyed it. How? What weakness did they discover that he had overlooked? If his was a failure then could the other two have also met similar fates? If they had been successful he should have heard from Malfus and Raeva by now, but they had not made contact with him. If the terentateks were such a failure then how would his leviathans stand against the mightiest beings on Azeroth…the dragons? This constant doubt clouded his judgment which was why he stood before his queen now. He knelt near the base of the pedestal of Azshara's likeness and prostrated himself before her.

"My queen…I have failed you," he said aloud. "My careful plans to bring you back into power have crumbled to dust. I…am…nothing."

"It is a minor setback my dear Thera'gon…nothing more," an ethereal female voice replied.

He looked up at the statue. She seemed to look down upon him with a smile. Embarrassed he lowered his head again. "But…the terentateks have not brought the destruction to our enemies as we had hoped. The night elves…"

"Are weakened," the voice replied. "You have put them on edge and they are looking now for an attack from these creatures. But where one door closes another one will open."

He looked up to see Azshara herself emerge from behind the statue. She appeared as she did all those millennia ago. Her tall lithe body was covered only in a white skirt with a slit along her left leg that went almost to her waist. Her long silvery hair hung loosely over her shoulders and breasts. In fact…her hair was the only thing covering her perfection above her waist. She walked gracefully towards him…almost like she was seducing him. Feeling a rush of anxiety mixed with primal lust, Thera'gon lowered his head. The year before when he talked to this statue and told her all of his plans she never responded, but he was certain he could sense her. But now as she graced him with her presence his heart raced. She had heard him and he was vindicated…she was alive and unchanged. The rumors were all false.

"They will be expecting you in Ashenvale," she said behind him. He kept his head lowered. She walked next to him and her hand lightly touched his back along up to his shoulder. "Instead strike them where they will feel it the most. Attack Darnassus."

"My queen…two terentateks are not enough to assail their capitol," he protested. Her hand lifted from his shoulder and he saw her bare feet…her perfect, beautiful feet…stop in front of his face. He lowered his head more as he sensed her kneeling in front of him. "Forgive my bluntness…Light of Lights…but the night elves are simply too well fortified in that city to attack them with just two of my pets."

Her hand gently touched his chin and lifted his gaze to meet hers. She was smiling at him. His heart quickened more and his member hardened. She was the only woman in the world he ever desired…and she was touching him. "Use your other pets…the ones you made for the dragons. Unleash them upon the night elves."

"B-b-but…they are not ready, my queen," he stammered.

"You said before that they store the life energies of their victims, correct?" she asked. He feebly nodded to her. Her eyes softened and her voice sang to him. "Let them feed on the night elves. With every one they absorb they will become stronger. Then when they are finished gorging themselves on our enemies in Darnassus they will be more than a match for the dragons." She bent down lower towards him…her lips almost touching his. "You can do this for me…can't you? My loyal and faithful Thera'gon." She let go of his chin and stood up. His gaze followed her. "Rise," she said as she turned to look at the statue. He did as she bade…his erection obvious for her to see. She turned to face him. "Do this for me and I will reward you with that which you most desire." She walked over to stand next to him…close enough her naked skin just barely touched him. "Succeed in destroying my enemies, Thera'gon, and you may pleasure me in all the ways you have dreamed."

"I will not fail again, my queen," he replied bowing his head.

"Go then…slay the traitorous night elves. Unleash the leviathans upon their capitol and teach them that betrayal will always be punished."

"It will be done, Light of Lights," he replied. He turned and left hurriedly knowing that to delay the demands of his queen would also be punished. But more importantly was that the sooner he succeeded the sooner she would reward him with pleasures beyond any he could imagine.

Azshara waited until he had left her sight before opening a portal. Once through she was standing on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. As she looked down at the crashing waves against the cliff wall her skin began to change from the smoothness of her violet night elven skin to a scaly gray. Her legs split into four long tentacles like those of an octopus. Fins grew outward from her jawline, and her hair transformed into numerous snakes all writhing on her head. From the waist down she resembled a kraken made famous in stories amongst sailors, but from the waist up her body still bore the perfect night elven form that enamored Thera'gon and many other highborne. The queen of the naga reared her head back in sinister laughter before diving into the waters below.

* * *

Alexstrasza walked in the forest near Astranaar looking for the man everyone called jedi. She remembered several years before Kalecgos asking her about magical energies called the force. The description given to her was that it was the energy generated by all living things. While she was the Aspect of Life she knew that all life generated energies, but nothing that could be harnessed as was described to her. But since her arrival to this night elven city she had heard stories of what this man had done and the incredible power he used that was unlike any seen before. Demira also talked to her at great length about this force and how she used it herself as a mage. At first Alexstrasza doubted what the woman said thinking she was simply confused, but a couple demonstrations by the mage set some doubts into the dragon's mind. She knew what arcane energies felt like and the mage was not using anything arcane. The power she wielded was more…pure. Now she sought this jedi to learn what he could tell her and see a master of this magical ability with her own eyes. She found him in a small clearing sitting in the grass with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his knees with palms upward. She had to look harder to tell he was actually breathing. She approached slowly not wanting to startle him.

"The Force emanates from you in waves," he said startling her. She stopped and cocked her head to the side. Except for talking he had not moved at all. "I must surmise you are Alexstrasza…the one who was the Aspect of Life."

"That is I," she replied after a second. "And you are the one they call jedi." He finally nodded and relaxed. He looked up at her. "What do you mean that the force comes from me?"

"The Force is the energy field generated by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds all things together. Being that you are…or were…the Aspect of Life on this world I can understand now that you are Force nexus."

The dragon sat down on the ground next to Daneel. "Please explain this to me."

"I will try," he said with a smile. "Life comes from you since you were its Aspect. You can create life. The Force is created by life…thus you are also…in simple terminology…a manifestation of the Force. In my galaxy there is a world called Voss. Its people believed that to save a life one must take a life…preserve the balance. I suspect in the way that you create life comes from the same. You take the Force energy that is left behind by those living things that have passed and use it to bring forth new life. In this you preserve the balance. As such the Force flows from you and to you." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Jedi scholars believed that it was possible there were beings who were the physical embodiment of the Force, but we had never discovered such a being…until now."

"When Kalecgos asked me if I could confirm the existence of this…Force…I told him I could neither confirm nor deny its presence. Are you trying to tell me that I am…in essence…the Force?" she asked. He nodded. "But I was not always thus. Before the Titans made me an Aspect I was simply a dragon. My powers were based in the arcane. But you have stated…and your wife has told me…that arcane energies and the Force repel each other. How then can I use both?"

"If I knew all of the answers I would be God," Daneel replied with a grin. "The Force has many more mysteries than even the most studious jedi over twenty thousands years have yet to discover. How you can use both I cannot answer. I can only tell you what I sense and know…that you are a physical manifestation of the Force." He looked up at the trees. Her gaze followed his for a second, but then she looked back at him still staring upwards. "One hundred thousand years ago there was a race of beings who ruled our galaxy. We know them only as The Celestials because that is what some of the remaining species from that time call them. They could create entire star systems and did so simply because they could do it." He looked back at Alexstrasza. "I cannot say for certain and I doubt anyone could, but perhaps The Celestials and your Titans are one and the same. Perhaps when they granted you the powers to be Aspect of life…the embodiment of the Force which is generated by life…they allowed you to use both sources of energy simply because they could do so."

"Interesting," she replied standing up. He stood to join her. "Although I cannot see fault with what you suggest and with what I know…you could also be very wrong."

"I could be at that," he replied with a smile.

Alexstrasza laughed and placed her hand on his shoulder. When she did she could feel the energy flowing through him. Much like Thrall had joined with the elements and earth in their fight with Deathwing, this man was surging with the energies that were the basis of all life…energies she was intimately familiar with. Perhaps this mortal was more accurate than he knew. It certainly raised some questions in her own mind. "I like you," she said after a moment. "You bring up some intriguing points I would like to discuss further with you once all of this danger has passed."

"I would enjoy that very much," he replied. He indicated with his hand that they should walk back to Astranaar, and she joined him. "Have you had a chance to speak with Kuro yet? The black dragon held captive?"

"I have," she replied bluntly. "I am unsure what to do with that one. Prudence suggests I kill her and end the danger of the black flight forever. But…I sense something in her that unsettles me when I think of that option. I have questions without answers."

"What if she is telling the truth? And could a black dragon actually seek peace and redemption?" She looked at him and nodded. "I might have another analogy that might help…if you do not find such things boring."

She smiled at him. "I would love to hear this analogy. It might actually help in ways examples of this world might not."

"Very well," he began, "Another jedi named Dorak was on a desert world called Tatooine. He was pursuing a sith lord who was threatening the planet and the innocent inhabitants who lived there and called it their home. This sith…his name was Praven…actually contacted Dorak and issued a challenge. He would free all of his hostages and end the threats if Dorak would simply meet him in a secluded locale for a one on one duel."

"And this sith…he was of the race with red skin that I have been told about?" Alexstrasza asked.

"He was," Daneel answered. "Most pureblood sith use the dark side of the Force. Dorak agreed with Praven despite the real possibility that the sith would carry out his threats and execute his prisoners regardless of the outcome of their duel. But as a jedi hoping for a peaceful resolution, he met the man in the desert alone. Contrary to what one might think, Praven freed his hostages and ended the threats as soon as Dorak arrived…before they even started their duel. When Dorak asked him why, Praven answered that it was the honorable thing to do. He did not believe in unneeded bloodshed unlike his masters. They dueled and Dorak won."

"And he slew this Praven?" the dragon asked. She stopped walking and Daneel stopped with her.

"No," Daneel replied smiling. "He spared Praven."

"That was reckless and foolish. Praven could have left and continued his threats and violence…he was a sith."

"Ah…but he didn't," the jedi answered holding up is index finger. "Quite the opposite. Praven was turned to the light side of the Force and joined the Jedi Order. As the war between the Republic and the Sith Empire escalated on a world called Corellia, Praven fought alongside his jedi brothers against his own species and helped the Republic win Corellia's freedom. When I left he was made a jedi master and had taken a padawan for training. He is a great jedi…and he is sith."

"So using your analogy…Kuro could be like this Praven," Alexstrasza said as they resumed walking. "You are suggesting I give her this chance to redeem herself."

The jedi nodded. "Just because she is a black dragon does not mean she is like the others. Like Praven she may seek a different path than others of her race have taken. I have talked to her extensively and I can sense no deception in her. And I also know what it is like to be the only one of my kind on this world. She is alone…and she is scared."

"I will take your suggestion under consideration," she said. "What you have told me gives me much to think about." She looked at him. "Thank you, Master Jedi."

"Thank you," he said to her.

"What for?"

"For listening to me," he replied. "I am a strange being from a distant world…a mortal in every sense of the word…and yet you take the time to listen to me and consider my opinion. I am honored that you do so."

She nodded as they resumed walking. "As to the threats from the rogue elf…have you discovered anything?" she asked.

"I have," he replied, "but I need to see a map. I have found something very disturbing."

* * *

Raeva walked the darkened hallways of the old fortress. She had already walked the entire outer perimeter and found no sign of life. Now she was approaching the inner sanctum where she had left her daughter with the other sith over thirty years before, but this place now felt like a tomb. The air was cold and stale. Her breath formed mists that hung before her face far longer than they had outside. She found better cold weather gear in one of the outlying rooms and had swapped her meager fur cloak for the more advanced clothing these sith possessed. A black bodysuit covered her from her neck to her feet. There were matching helmets that she knew were meant to cover her face and head to protect her from the cold, but after trying one on she discovered they required some sort of energy source to function and allow her to see. She found no power cells for the helms so she opted to brave the elements with scraps of her furs to protect her face once she left this place.

To light her way she held a torch she had packed when she left the ship. Shadows danced on the walls as the flames flickered in the dark. There were no windows to the outside this deep into the fortress. She wondered what aversion the old sith had to daylight as she recalled he never met her outside the first time she was here. The hallways were arranged in concentric circles with intermittent corridors leading ever further to the center of the fortress. Rooms arranged along the corridors she investigated as thoroughly as she could. Many doors were either locked or simply jammed shut, but what rooms she could enter were completely barren. She tried to imagine how many people this fortress held when more of these sith were alive. Narcis never told her much of his people except they had come from another world far from Azeroth and that they were slowly dying of a disease they could not cure or avoid. The green blotches on his torso and neck she originally thought as just a normal part of his race's appearance she learned was actually a symptom of their plague. It was something she knew he was embarrassed about and would talk little of what had caused the plague or what had brought his people to Azeroth. Narcis possessed few things, but they were so far advanced that she never doubted his word that he came from another world.

At last she came to the corridor leading to the very center of the fortress. It was in that room she left her daughter with the sith that lived here. It reminded her of a throne room one might find in any of the castles around the human territories. Taking a deep breath she began walking the long hallway. Along the walls were statues of sith in various poses. Some wore outfits unlike any she had ever seen or imagined even possible. Near the bottom of each was a stone tablet with strange writing. She assumed they were written in the native sith language, but with neither Narcis nor this other here to tell her what they said she would never know. When she entered the main 'throne' room her torch's light could not reach the far wall. It barely provided enough light to illuminate to the center of the room, but she could just make the outline of the high-backed chair on a small raised dais. As she slowly approached the chair she saw more and more clearly the outline of a figure sitting in it. It had red pointed boots under red and purple armored leggings. The chestpiece was also red and purple with huge wing-like protrusions extending from the shoulders to the sides. The helmet was open at the face…the face of a strange skeleton, but from the crest raised four horns. As she came to a stop at the base of the dais she recognized the armoring from one of the statues in the hallway leading to this room. In the middle of his chest was a scorched hole she surmised came from a weapon like Narcis possessed. So…this was the sith she had come to see all those years ago and before his death he had worn his armor one last time. She noticed now that the remains were slouched in the chair and the head slumped to one side. Bringing the torch closer she noticed there was no flesh left on the bones…he had been dead for several years at least. As she stepped back she spied an object lying on the floor shaped like a small black pyramid. She reached over with her free hand and picked up the object which was six inches long on each side of the base. Narcis had shown her things like this before. Holocrons were what he called them. She looked for a place to set her torch, but there was no place around her. With a heavy sigh she placed the holocron in her pack and left the room. She would have to wait until she was someplace with light before she could activate the storage device as Narcis had shown her. He had told her that only those sensitive to the Force could activate a holocron, and she hoped the old sith had left something behind that might tell her what had happened to her daughter and where she might be. In one of the outer rooms of the Fortress she found sufficient light. She extinguished her torch and began the ritual that would unlock the holocron and its secrets. Kneeling on the ground before it she closed her eyes and touched it with the Force as Narcis had taught her. She felt it activate and upon opening her eyes she saw the old sith standing before her in his full armoring. The tendrils on his dark red face were shriveled showing just how much he had aged since the last time she had seen him.

"So," it said to her, "Narcis' little elven whore has finally come to see her daughter. Tell me…is that old crone finally dead like me?"

"How do you know who I am?" she asked the holographic image.

The image of the old sith laughed. "He taught you how to activate a holocron but forgot to mention how they work? That is just too much," it said laughing again.

"Who are you?"

"I am but the slightest sliver of what was once a great and powerful sith lord," it replied. "But that is not the question you came here seeking an answer to. You want to know about your little brat."

"Where is she? Is she alive?" Raeva asked.

"I have to also wonder if any of you figured out what Narcis truly wanted from you," it said as it clasped its hand behind its back and paced back and forth next to the holocron.

"Tell me where my daughter is," Raeva said as she stood.

"Did any of you realize he was playing you? All of you?" the sith said ignoring her. "It was not by mere chance that Narcis met that fool Thera'gon deep in the south. Nor was it circumstance that he got you pregnant and that he convinced you to bring that child to me."

"Where is my daughter!" she repeated clenching her fists. It was only an image of the old sith, she knew, but still her anger began to boil within.

"Centuries ago we crashed on an isolated island far out to sea," it continued. "Our speeder was useless and our supplies destroyed. We were stranded there in that desolate place and knew we would die of starvation or thirst. Then on the second night a being came up from the water. She had a heavenly form to her torso but long tentacles below the waist. We assumed she was some sort of beast come to slay us, so we both ignited our lightsabers meaning to battle it and perhaps procure some food in the process. But a funny thing happened then…it changed…transformed…into a creature with such alluring beauty that we found ourselves unable to act. This…this woman with long silvery hair and violet skin walked towards us…no…she glided towards us. And she was strong in the dark side of the Force. Narcis and I were mesmerized by this vision of perfection." It turned to look now directly at Raeva who stood with clenched fists and seemingly only listening partly to its story. "Come now…you will find this tale most enlightening."

"I fail to see how any of this concerns what has happened to my daughter and where she is," she answered.

"But…it has everything to do with your sweet little girl," it replied with a wicked smile. "You see…that woman saved Narcis and I…and in exchange for our lives we made a deal with her that has taken us centuries to fulfill." Raeva relaxed her fists as her eyes widened. "You see," it continued. "She spared us for certain…considerations. One was Thera'gon. The other was…you." Its smile changed to a sneer that sent a shiver down Raeva's spine. "I believe you once knew this woman."

"Azshara," she whispered.

"She hates you because you were not with her when the end came," the image stated. "And so we were charged with taking from you that which you would hold most dear…as her kingdom was taken from her. Narcis mentioned that having a child was all you could ever talk about some days. Strange that a woman as old as you had never conceived a child, but he felt it necessary to fulfill your innermost desire. Then once you had birthed the brat he convinced you to give her up for her…protection. Pure genius on that old crone's part I have to admit."

"I brought her here…for nothing?" she asked meekly.

"Oh no…not for nothing," the image replied sneering. "She might have been your daughter…but she was also his…and he could not leave her around your mewling ways to grow up a weakened coward. No…you brought her to me so that I could teach her the ways of the sith. And a powerful sith she has grown to be," he said the last with no small amount of pride. "She is my greatest pupil…and my successor."

"If you are so proud of her why do you call her a brat?" Raeva asked.

"Because she killed me…as any proper sith would kill their master," he said rearing up. "But just because she did as she was taught doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!"

"So where is she now?" Raeva asked with more conviction in her voice. Her daughter was still alive.

"I know not where," it said with a wave of its hands. "Despite that you know nothing about her…she does know everything about you. If she wanted to meet with you…she would have already done so. Being that you are here and asking for her whereabouts tells me that she wants nothing to do with you." It sneered at her.

"This…this is pointless," Raeva stated turning on her heel. She wouldn't believe anything it was saying…she couldn't. That her daughter was out in the world and knew how to contact her this whole time…it tore at Raeva's heart. But these sith were malicious beings that thrived on the torment of others. It would lie just to hurt her.

"But do please stay," it said to her as she left. "Don't you want to know the rest of your queen's plans?" But Raeva was gone not listening to the image from the holocron. "Don't you want to know that in exchange for enacting retribution on her betrayers that your daughter will be given complete rule over all the lands?" The image began fading as it laughed. "A sith shall finally rule this world!"

* * *

Daneel leaned over the map on the table. The dragon sisters stood opposite him while Shandris and Adaria stood to his right at the end of the table. Demira and Kitali stood next to him. The newcomer this time was Kuro standing at the end of the table to his left. She was still wearing her collar and two sentinels stood guard on each side of her. Alexstrasza had requested her presence at this meeting. Although she had not made a decision yet about what to do with the lone survivor, she wanted to see the reaction of one of Neltharion's flight when the jedi revealed what he had discovered during his meditation.

"I can sense three dark side nexus' on this world," Daneel began. He pointed to the map. "There is one here along this mountain range in Northrend and one here in the south."

"That's in Silithus," Adaria stated. "A very volatile area…a place people try to avoid."

"And those mountains in Northrend are largely unexplored," added Kitali. "Both would be perfect areas for sith wanting to hide."

"You said you sensed three such nexus'," Ysera said. "Where is the third?"

Daneel looked up from the map. "It was…moving." All heads turned sharply to look at him. "First time I sensed it was here," he said pointing at the map.

"That is very close to here. I believe there are old ruins in that area," Shandris stated.

"Then it moved here closer to the coast. And then very quickly it was here," he said pointing to the center of the map. There were several gasps. "And it was more potent than the other two. It almost felt like…like you, Alexstrasza," he said looking at the dragon queen. "But where I sense you as the embodiment of the Living Force and therefore akin to the light side…this one is the opposite…like an embodiment of the dark side."

"It's Neltharion," Kuro said at the end of the table drawing several gazes. "He's returned." She looked at the dragon sisters with a look of pure horror. "He has returned to the ruin of us all. He is too powerful and he will enslave me again. You must kill me. I am free and I will not go back to being his slave. You must kill me…you must." The guards looked at each other uncertain what to do. They had anticipated her attempt to escape…not beg for death. "My thoughts are my own… I don't want him in my head again. I am free and I wish to stay that way!"

"It's not Deathwing," Ysera told the black dragon. "He is dead. We know this for certain."

"You thought that before and he came back," Kuro retorted. Alexstrasza walked towards her. "The jedi said he felt the opposite of you. You are the Life Binder. The opposite is death…and he is death." The dragon queen placed her hand on Kuro's shoulder. "I do not want to be his slave again. Please…I would rather be dead than his. You must kill me to keep me free!"

"Neltharion is dead…I swear it," Alexstrasza said. "You will not be his slave ever again." She looked back at her sister. "The horrors he must have done to this one to make her fear him such…I can only imagine."

"It seems he was perhaps harshest on his own flight," Ysera replied. "We might have judged the entire flight too harshly if this one is an example of how some of them were treated by the one meant to lead and protect them. If we had known the control he held over them…and some unwillingly."

Alexstrasza looked at Kuro who stood trembling as she looked at the map muttering that Deathwing had returned. "I cannot in good conscience even consider killing her knowing she lived as such under him."

"It's not Deathwing…it's Azshara," Shandris stated bluntly causing all to look at her. "That is the Maelstrom...where the Well of Eternity once existed…and where it is believed that she rules as the queen of the naga." She looked at the jedi. "The creatures…the threats of Thera'gon…all are because of her. He even stated such. It must be her. And her kingdom of Nazjatar is located there just by the Rift."

"But is she truly that powerful?" Kitali asked. "Powerful enough to be on par with a…an Aspect?"

"It has been said she was the most powerful mage ever to have lived," Demira stated at Daneel's side. She looked at Alexstrasza. "And I have to think that if there is one being that can use both the Force and the arcane…and on the light…then there would have to be an equal opposite."

"How did she become a naga?" Kitali asked.

"Some believe that when the Well imploded and Zin'Azshari sank into the waters that she made a deal with the Old Gods," Shandris replied. She also looked at the dragons. "It is possible that in much the same way the Titans granted powers to the dragons to protect Azeroth…and powers of the light as Daneel suggests…"

"That these old gods also granted the opposite to her," Daneel concluded. "And from what I have sensed she is equally on par with you, Alexstrasza, since you lost the powers of being an Aspect."

"So why hasn't she acted before now? We are no longer Aspects…and if the Old Gods gave her powers of equal footing as ours…" Ysera asked.

"Neltharion was still afraid of all of you together," Kuro interrupted drawing all gazes back on her. She looked at all of them. "His thoughts were always in my head…so I kinda know how he thought. One or two of you he could deal with easily with the Demon Soul under his command, but more than that would have been difficult. What he was always afraid of was if you all banded together. Many of his schemes were based on how to divide you and keep you that way."

"That has been her strategy as well," Daneel added. "First she gets her thralls to attack your old allies. Then afterwards I would venture Thera'gon would then unleash the terentateks on the night elves at the same time he unleashes the leviathans on the dragons."

"We would come to the aid of the kaldorei," Alexstrasza stated. "Sending both at the same would keep us occupied and perhaps even destroy us…and allowing him to concentrate fully on the night elves who Azshara holds personally responsible for her defeat and downfall. I can see that was what he was intending." She looked at Kuro. "And he would not bother to distinguish one flight from another. If he is doing her bidding…then he will attack all she feels responsible for her downfall so long ago. Black dragons included. It was the Demon Soul in the hands of the druid Malfurion…the creation of Neltharion…that closed the portal and collapsed the Well of Eternity."

"So where is he going now?" Shandris asked pointing to the map. "Those leviathans could be at either of these locations." She looked up at the others. "Northrend would be a perfect place to keep them since the Wyrmrest Temple is on that continent."

"And we can assume the terentateks were created in Silithus since two were unleashed on this continent," Demira added. "I am certain the taurens have been a target as well even if we have not received confirmation yet."

"But we only know of perhaps two others working with him," Adaria stated. "He controlled one, and that Malfus controlled the other in Ironforge. If there is one in Mulgore that would require a third person. Could he create such creatures so far apart with only the three of them?"

"We must split up and search both areas," Daneel answered. "That would be the best way to ascertain where he has them."

"Our flights can search both areas quickly, "Ysera suggested. "We could have our answer before he could reach either place."

"But you would not know what to look for," Daneel countered. "I must go to one location…and I will send Celeste to the other. Both of us will know if what we seek is in either place because we will sense it through the Force."

"My flight will go with you to Silithus," Alexstrasza offered. "I agree that the beasts we have seen were most likely created there."

"And mine will accompany your apprentice to Northrend," Ysera said. Daneel nodded. "We can gather our flights within hours."

"I would like Kuro to come with me as well," Daneel stated. Her shocked look was plain for all to see. He walked towards her. "If you seek redemption…then this is a way that you can do just that."

"I can agree to that," the dragon queen said. "We dragons may have misjudged the black flight. We cannot undo what has been done…but we can shape a future with what remains."

"And…you…you feel you can trust me?" Kuro asked them both.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Daneel stated.

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge," Demira added walking to his right side.

"There is no passion, there is serenity," Kitali said as she walked to Daneel's left side.

"There is no chaos, there is harmony," Demira said.

"There is no death, there is the Force," Daneel finished. "This is the code all jedi live by, Kuro."

"As do we," Demira and Kitali added together.

"Do you think you could live by this code, Kuro?" Daneel asked. "I sense in you a great potential. You told me you sought redemption and a purpose in life. I am offering you that now."

"I…I…have done so much wrong…hurt so many," she said quietly. "How can you ask me to join you after I told you all that I had done?"

"You said it yourself, Kuro," Alexstrasza said to her side. Kuro looked at her. "You are free of Neltharion's thoughts…free to choose your own path. If you wish to join the jedi and his companions I can think of no better one." She looked at the jedi. "I feel with him you can achieve a great many things that you will be proud of. And in the eyes of all dragons you will be welcomed as a friend for you would be seen as more than just a black dragon."

"We had a long discussion before you joined us here in this room," Demira said. "While some of us have reservations…myself being one of them…we all agreed that if Daneel can trust you then we can learn to as well."

"And yet you would still ask me to join you?" Kuro asked the mage.

"I trust my husband," Demira replied as she reached over and held his hand. "I know he would not make such an offer if he did not feel you worthy of it. That I know deep inside. If he trusts you and asks you to become a jedi…then I stand with him."

"Some of us have done things in our past we are not proud of," Kitali added. "But the jedi do not frown upon one who wishes to seek a second chance…and what we offer is just that…a second chance."

"It is a lifelong commitment," Daneel stated. "You do not have to make a decision now. Just think about our offer. Join us in averting a possible war now…and when it is over then decide if the life a jedi is one you wish to undertake."

"I still think it is a mistake," Shandris said behind them. "But I will comply with the consensus. Division amongst us now is exactly what Thera'gon and Azshara want…and I for one will not give that to them. I still suggest she remain collared for the present time. She is less dangerous in her current form than as a dragon."

"I want to help however I can," Kuro stated. She looked at Daneel. "As to your offer…I must think about it…but I am grateful that you have faith in me where others might not."

"Then it is settled," Alexstrasza said drawing everyone's attention. "On the morrow we will investigate these two regions the jedi has indicated as likely places Thera'gon will be hiding his leviathans. Sleep well tonight and get much needed rest…after tomorrow we might not have much for a long time."


	8. Reunions

**_Part Seven: Reunions_**

Demira leaned on the railing of the balcony to the room provided for her and Daneel. A warm gentle breeze caressed her face as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply inhaling the fragrances of the nearby forest. The wind billowed her sheer nightgown around her body highlighting her figure. As calm and beautiful as she appeared outwardly she was in turmoil inside. Thoughts about the day's events ran through her mind as were mild fears about what they were set to do in the morning. She was certain they were missing something. Why would Thera'gon plot and scheme for ten thousand years and finally only attack with several creatures and with only a handful of people to help him? She was certain she could come up with a better plan and it would not take her ten thousand years to execute it. But everything they had discovered and deduced led to exactly that. This Thera'gon was either simplistic in his designs…or there was more at work than just the elf's plans. The revelation that Azshara most likely was involved did not set well with her and was the root of her restlessness. Though they were uncertain, she believed that Thera'gon was only a small part in the grander schemes of the former queen of the night elves. What troubled the mage was…just how large or small a part was Thera'gon's machinations in Azshara's overall scheme.

A couple of stories below a pair of sentinels patrolled the streets. Since the initial attacks of the terentateks the night elves had increased their guard duty of Astranaar as it was the main safe haven for this area of Ashenvale. Although it was long past sundown the city below was teeming with activity. While some night elves like Shandris Feathermoon lived in either daylight or moonlight, the majority of kaldorei still preferred the darkness of night. With the presence of other races that preferred the daylight Astranaar was a city that never fully slept. Watching the activity made Demira realize just how different the sin'dorei and the kaldorei had become. All elves originated from the same society…the same one ruled by Azshara ten thousand years ago. She shook her head at how much had changed as she looked down at her pale hand. The kaldorei still had the violet hues to their skin and stood a good head or more taller than her. While the night elves preferred the night and light of the moon, the quel'dorei and sin'dorei preferred the sunlight of the day. She was only in her forties, but she knew some sin'dorei were alive when the Sundering took place. What mutations they must have endured to appear as they did today. Were it not for that shared history and the longevity of their lives no one would ever know the two races were once one and the same. They were also on opposite sides of the current war between the Alliance and the Horde…the kaldorei and the sin'dorei. She knew the reasons why, but since Daneel had convinced her to join him to this side of the world those reasons now seemed petty and insubstantial...not enough to split a species and create a rift that may never heal. At least that was her opinion as she watched the kaldorei below.

A hand gently pulled her hair back from her left ear, and soft lips kissed her neck just below. Thoughts drifted away as this sweet caress calmed her mind. Demira closed her eyes as she felt his arms wrap around her waist…his bare chest against her back with only the thin fabric of her nightgown separating the touch of his skin on hers. She hugged his embrace with her right arm and lifted her left hand to run her fingers through Daneel's hair as he continued kissing her neck. His lips parted from her skin, and she turned her head to look into his smiling face. She pulled him closer to kiss him deeply. Oh, how much she loved this man. After a moment their lips parted and she looked at his visor…the closest way she had at looking into eyes that were never there.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Daneel asked her as their foreheads touched.

"My mind's been racing over everything that has happened since we arrived here," she answered. "I tried to lie down…I just can't get to sleep."

"It's been the same for me," he whispered before kissing her neck again. "When I felt you get out of bed, I turned and watched you walk over here to the balcony. Seeing you silhouetted in the moonlight made all of those thoughts disappear."

"I hope other thoughts occupy your mind now," she said coyly.

He removed his left arm left to lift her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he cradled her in his arms. "I've a few things on my mind…yes…and all of them about you."

"Show me," she whispered with a smile.

* * *

Raeva sat at a table in an inn outside Valiance Keep. Because her eyes no longer glowed green as they had for years she passed as a high elf. This suited her needs as Valiance Keep was in Alliance territory. Her left arm was propped on the table holding her head up while she stirred a fork in her meal with her right. The food was getting cold while her drink was getting warm. She couldn't get the words of the old sith image out of her head. On her way to this inn from the old sith base she had contacted Thera'gon. He sounded…different…and anxiously told her he would meet her at this inn. His change in temperament concerned her, but what she really wanted from the old highborne was how much he knew about what the holocron had told her. Did Thera'gon know about Narcis' plan? Had he figured out that the sith was playing each of them against the other? As much as she wanted to disbelieve everything the image had said, too much of it rang true as she looked back over the past few decades. Narcis was never a romantic lover as she recalled. He seemed more interested in sex than being emotionally intimate with her. And after she returned from Northrend the first time even the sex waned as he seemed less and less interested in her. She had figured it had something to do with how his people were and their experiments in creating the terentateks and leviathans. Besides him she had never known a sith.

She looked lazily at the bar. Behind the counter worked a human male and a high elven woman. The woman had long raven black hair and the bluest eyes Raeva had ever seen. The man had shoulder length blonde hair and a slight build. He had a warm smile and boisterous laugh as he talked to the patrons at the bar. In contrast the woman had just a polite smile and spoke little. However, something was strangely familiar regarding the woman that Raeva could not place. This riddle had begun to absorb her attention so much she barely noticed when Thera'gon sat down at the table next to her. She rolled her eyes to look at the old highborne. His clothes were disheveled as was his hair. If she had not known him she would have taken him for a drunkard fresh from the alley behind the inn. He looked over at the bartender and raised two fingers.

"Our queen is alive and unchanged, Raeva," he said excitedly to her.

"That's nice," she replied nonchalantly still playing with her meal with the fork. After her visit to the sith base she found she didn't really care anymore about the old queen or this man's schemes to restore Azshara to her throne…one that was washed away millennia ago.

"She has given me a new direction," he said. "The terentateks are no longer needed."

"That's good because the taurens crushed mine in a small earthquake," she stated.

"Yours was…never mind…that does not matter now. What does matter is that she wants us to unleash our leviathans on the night elven capitol."

Raeva looked at him with concern. Was he mad? Attack Darnassus with creatures that were probably just as much a failure as the terentateks were? "Thera'gon…I don't think that is a wise course of action."

"Why not?" he asked. "It is the command of Light of Lights…her will must be obeyed."

She rolled her eyes. This man's obsession with the old queen was beginning to wear on her calm. He actually believed she contacted him and gave him direction. "Aren't you going to ask me why I am in Northrend?"

"I had thought to ask," he replied. "But that is no longer relevant. We have a task!"

At that moment the elven woman approached with three mugs of ale. She placed one in front of Thera'gon, one in front of Raeva, and then the third in front of an empty chair as she sat down in it. Raeva's eyes widened and she lifted her head from her hand.

"Thank you, miss. You may leave us now as we have much to discuss," Thera'gon stated with a wave of his hand. But the woman did not act as if to leave. His brow furrowed. "Are you deaf? I told you to leave us."

The woman smiled at him, but Raeva saw the look behind her eyes…one that Narcis seemed to have all of the time she had known him. "I think you should drink your ale and keep your mouth shut, Thera'gon," the strange woman said.

Her voice was quite feminine, but Raeva noticed the coldness behind it. She looked at her, and Raeva suddenly realized what seemed so familiar. Except for the coloring of her hair and eyes Raeva could have sworn she was looking into a mirror. She sat bolt upright in her chair at the realization that she was looking at her own daughter. A sneer crossed the woman's face as she watched her mother.

"Just who do you think you are?" Thera'gon asked.

"Don't, Thera'gon," Raeva said out of the side of her mouth. Stretching out through the Force she felt the great amount of power within her daughter. Together they were no match for this woman. "I think you should do as she says."

"I will not!" Thera'gon said. "I want…" but his words were cut short by the sound of a snap and hiss from under the table. His eyes widened in horror before his head struck the table. Raeva heard a strange hum just after the initial noise that suddenly disappeared.

"I think we have some things to discuss," the woman said. Raeva noticed she never took her eyes off her as she killed Thera'gon. None of the other patrons noticed what was happening at their table. Raeva shuddered. The blue coloring of her daughter's eyes had changed to red…red with a yellow ring around the pupil. She knew what it meant…a representation of her daughter's connection to the dark side of the Force. "Slowly reach under the table and take the metal cylinder from his belt."

"And if I don't," Raeva replied with her voice shaking.

"I really don't want to leave two corpses in this bar," her daughter replied with a smile. "Just grab the cylinder and meet me down by the docks in five minutes."

In a smooth motion she stood and walked out of the inn. After a minute Raeva's trembling hand reached down under the table and found the metal cylinder on Thera'gon's waist. She closed her eyes as she wrapped her fingers around the cold metal. She knew it was Narcis' weapon. She took a deep breath. With her right hand she left her remaining two gold pieces on the table and then stood up and followed her daughter. Once outside the inn she half expected to see her, but instead there was only the locals walking back and forth going about their business. She looked to her left towards the docks that were on the other side of the fortress built around the keep. Most of the people milling about were sailors or soldiers. She placed the weapon in her pack that she had slung over her shoulder. Fear gripped her. Her daughter had made contact, but Raeva felt a darkness in her daughter that scared her more than anything she had faced in her entire life. She had lived ten millennia hoping for a child but never conceiving one. Narcis had given her what she had always desired. But now she was afraid to walk to the docks. Her daughter…her own flesh and blood…had killed a man before her eyes and never flinched….didn't even seem to care. A human man walking by bumped her shoulder.

"Hey…watch where you're walking, lady," he said to her.

Raeva only stared at him for a few seconds. Or was it a few minutes? She took a deep breath and began walking towards the docks. What did her daughter want with her? Was she angry after all these years thinking she had been abandoned? Was that why she was so cold and callous when she slew Thera'gon? Was that her plan for Raeva as well? The questions kept mounting in the old handmaiden's mind as she got closer and closer to her meeting with her daughter. And as the thoughts multiplied so did her fear. When she got to the docks it took her another few minutes to find the woman. She tentatively peered around every corner afraid her daughter would strike out at her with the lightsaber she knew was used to slay Thera'gon. At the last of the docks a ship was moored. At the end of its pier near the gangplank stood her daughter looking out towards the sea. Raeva approached her slowly.

"You have nothing to fear from me, mother," she said without turning around. "You cannot help that you are weak and was duped by my father." She turned to look at Raeva. The blue in her eyes had returned. "They had plans for me, you know." She turned back to look out at the sea. "But their plans are not my plans. What deal they made with some old sea witch doesn't concern me."

"I…I…I should have seen through his ruse…I should have come sooner…I…" Raeva stammered.

Her daughter turned around and looked at her. "I have been following you for the past year, mother. You never saw me or knew I was there…but I was. I saw you leave from Silithus with the terentatek. I watched as the taurens crushed it in the ground. I watched you on that ship with the human and then with the mage. I know you went back to Drakus' base in the north. I couldn't follow you directly after you went through the portal…but I sensed where it was you were headed. And I know what you discovered on Drakus' holocron. I know what he told you." She stepped closer to Raeva and reached out and placed her hand on her mother's shoulder. "And now I know your eyes have been opened to the lies they told you for far too long. I know now that I can trust you."

"What is it you plan to do, my daughter?" Raeva asked.

"I plan to rule this world, but not on some whim by an old forgotten sea hag," she replied with a sneer. "Drakus kept telling me I was a sith…but I am more than sith. I am an elf born of this world. My plans? First I will start with my own people…the sin'dorei. I will make them like you."

"Like me?"

"Free of the taint of addiction to arcane energies," her daughter replied. "I will remove that which has enslaved them since the days of Illidan the Betrayer. The influence of the Sunwell must be removed from their lives…to set them free…to make them mine. Once I destroy the Sunwell they will have to find another source of energy to cast their magics and feed their hunger for power. I shall arrive at the time of their greatest peril…when the withdrawal is at its worst…and show them the power of the Force. They shall bow before me and call me their savior…their queen. Then…with an army of Force users I will strike at the heart of the humans and take out their cities. The war between the Alliance and the Horde will escalate. When the dust settles and we are victorious then all shall bow before me." Her hand left her mother's shoulder as she turned back to look out at the sea. In a strange tongue she said aloud, "Nwul tash. Dzwol Shasoktkun. Shasotjontu chatsatul nu tyuk. Tyukjontu chatsatul nu midwan. Midwanjontu chatsatul nu asha. Ashajontu kotswinot itsu nuyak." She turned her head to look at Raeva who was staring at her with a mixture of fear and happiness. A broad smile crossed her daughter's face as her eyes were once again red. "Wonoksh Qyasik nun!" This translated to… "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Though passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me!"

* * *

Demira sat in a chair at a table in the communal dining room of the inn. She leaned back after taking a sip of her fruit juice as she waited for her breakfast. Daneel had left earlier to speak with the dragon sisters about the plans for departure later that morning. She reached forward for her drink when Kitali entered the room. The draenei looked like she had not slept at all. Her hair was in a loose ponytail with frayed ends. She yawned as she approached Demira's table. She sat down in a chair opposite the mage and sighed. With half closed eyes and a frown she looked at her long-time friend.

"I hope you enjoyed yourselves last night," Kitali said.

"I don't know what you mean," Demira replied as she looked at the ceiling while sipping her drink.

Kitali leaned forward. "I know you guys have that sound dampening device which is a good thing because I know you get really loud." Demira almost spit her drink as her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "But you should know that did not stop the bed from banging on my ceiling…all night long!" Demira put her mug on the table as she giggled and her blush deepened. "Uh huh…I though so," Kitali said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "I…didn't get a wink of sleep last night…not a single wink."

"I'm sorry," the mage said.

"You should be."

Demira leaned forward. "Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?"

"You bet your bony little ass it is," the draenei replied. "You have your husband here with you." She uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. "You got to do what I wanted to…I really wanted to…but Zharn is up in Darnassus and I'm stuck here."

Both women sat back in their chairs as the waitress brought the mage's breakfast to the table. Kitali rolled her eyes at seeing the three eggs, pile of bacon, and several slices of fruit heaped on the plate. Demira smiled at the waitress and thanked her. After she left Kitali leaned forward again.

"I see you also worked up quite an appetite."

Demira forked some eggs into her mouth. "Look…within hours you'll be in Darnassus," she said with her mouth half full. "When you get there go see him and do…whatever you want to do." Kitali just stared at her with half open eyes. "Do you want anything? I can have them bring something out for you."

"I'm too tired to be hungry," the shaman replied as she stood up. "When we get to Darnassus I'll find Zharn all right, but I'm going to be so tired I'll probably pass out in his arms."

Daneel talked to Alexstrasza and Ysera. Over the night three more dragons from each flight had arrived. They planned for Daneel, Demira, and Kuro to fly south to Silithus with the reds while Kitali and Adaria would head north to Darnassus with the greens to pick up Celeste before heading to the mountains in Northrend where the jedi sensed the dark side nexus. While Daneel would be riding atop Alexstrasza, Demira would be riding Cielstrasza and Kuro atop Tariolstrasz on their journey south. Kitali would be riding Ysera while Adaria would be on Risera. Valithria Dreamwalker joined them to Darnassus and would carry Celeste once they had rendezvoused with her. The remaining two dragons…one from each flight…rounded out the parties. Vethsera and Kandrostrasz would act as scouts and provide air support for the when the parties reached their destinations.

After the final plans were discussed, the sisters parted to transform into their normal dragon forms. While they did so Daneel noticed Demira and Kitali were off to the side talking. They held hands and then hugged. The jedi smiled when they parted and his wife put her hand on the other's cheek. The shaman appeared to have not rested much and he had an idea why. She shook her head and then the two women hugged again before parting. Demira walked up to the jedi and hugged him when they were together.

"How's she holding up," he asked her. "She looks exhausted."

"She's managing," she replied. "Although I think we might have kept her up last night."

"Well, she'll get a day to rest up once they reach Darnassus," he said. Demira gave him a quizzical look. "I convinced Ysera to spend a day in Darnassus before departing for Northrend. She protested at first, but I told her that she could use that day to get to know Celeste since she would be the one who could sense the dark side nexus they will be looking for."

"And the real reason?" she asked looking into his face. "That was a load you told Ysera…I know it."

The jedi smiled and nodded towards Kitali who was climbing atop Ysera. "I know they miss each other and I thought it would be good for them to have at least a day together." He gave her a quick kiss and added, "And I talked to Zharn earlier. He is excited to see her."

* * *

Raeva sat on a hillside overlooking some shoreline ruins not far from Valiance Keep where it was commonly known that naga prowled. Her daughter had brought her here after their meeting on the docks. As much as she was excited at finally meeting her child, Raeva was still scared of her. The younger elf had no compassion in her heart…no sense of any remorse…and arrogance that Raeva knew stemmed from the tremendous amount of dark side power the woman was fully aware she possessed. For decades she had dreamed of when she would finally meet her daughter. She would learn her child's name, but the woman had not yet told her. Never in all of her imaginings did Raeva think the first action her daughter would do when they first met would be to commit cold blooded murder. And now she was down near the ruins conversing with some of the naga. When they first arrived, Raeva thought of protesting, but the expression on her daughter's face told her that the woman had been here before. Like her the younger elf wore form fitting clothing crafted by the sith to preserve body temperature in any climate. Her raven hair was now tied back into a long ponytail, and for the first time Raeva noticed that her daughter was not as buxom as she but that was the only difference in their physiques. They could pass for sisters.

When she was her daughter's age she was a handmaiden to Azshara in Zin'Azshari. Elves didn't show age as other races did, so she still looked as she did then. She closed her eyes remembering those days before the war. Many of the younger soldiers and lower ranked officers were frequent guests in her bed. The highborne led more hedonistic lifestyles in those days. They craved power…the power of the Well of Eternity…and in that drunkenness for power other desires were also heightened. What most of the men desired was the queen, but since they knew they could never share her bed those of her handmaidens were seen as a great prize. And she was like the other highborne in her youth. She reveled in that lifestyle…enjoyed it…and when it was over after the war she hungered. For a couple of centuries she dabbled in every debauchery she could find to relive that past glory, but eventually even that was not enough. A few more centuries of deep depression saw her wander the world. Finally she found the other highborne in Quel'thalas. There she lived with others of her kind leading a mundane life. But always deep down inside that hunger still persisted, and when Thera'gon approached her with his plans she was eager to join him. Nothing now was as it was supposed to be.

Raeva's attention was drawn to the ruins when she heard raised voices. Her daughter was talking calmly to one of the naga's leaders. The serpentine woman was waving her arms…all four of them…and shouting something Raeva could not hear clear enough to make out what was being said. Apparently her daughter did not like what she was hearing because suddenly the woman withdrew her weapon. Raeva gasped as not one but two crimson blades ignited. With a spin high and then low her daughter decapitated the naga's head and then severed the snake-like tail. The other naga around them began to charge, but her daughter simply extended her right arm. Purple bolts of lightning sprouted from her fingertips and struck some of the naga, but most of the dark side electricity contacted the water electrocuting all of them in the area. Raeva winced as she witnessed the mass destruction her daughter was wreaking on a race that was once highborne like herself. Some of those beings writhing in their death throes could have been her relatives. She closed her eyes and looked away. Their screams became so loud she covered her ears. She had been taught to wield such power…had used it once or twice on their victims they mutated into the terentateks and leviathans. But for her there had been a purpose…a reason. What her daughter was doing now was a senseless slaughter. After a minute the screams stopped. In the silence she opened her eyes and looked down at the shore. Her daughter was walking back towards her. The saberstaff's blades were already extinguished and the hilt hung from her belt. That sinister sneer crossed her lips and the horrible red coloring of her eyes had returned. Raeva felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked behind her daughter at the fifty to sixty naga corpses floating in the water. What had her daughter become? Was this what it meant to be sith? A true sith?

"Why?" Raeva cried out to her daughter. She never answered. "Why?" Raeva shouted again. Her daughter stopped once she was within ten feet. "Why, my daughter? Why kill them all?"

"To send a message to their queen," the woman replied half laughing. "They think I am a weak child they can bend to their will. I am anything but weak, mother." She looked back at the mass murder she had committed. "Some still live and they will report what happened to Azshara. That sea hag will know now not to underestimate me."

"Underestimate you? I don't understand," Raeva gasped.

"The plan will proceed, but it will be I that allows her to rule the seas…not she the will allow me to rule the lands," her daughter answered. "The three of you did well for your part. The night elves and dragons are distracted as well as the jedi that arrived a few years ago." She looked back at her mother. "Do you really think we had intended to hinge all of our plans on a few animals? They were always meant as a distraction as were the three of you. And while those you attacked were occupied I could accomplish what we really wanted."

"And what was that?" Raeva asked.

"Azshara wanted to taint the Sunwell. Subvert it just enough to make the blood elves seek the remnants of the old Well of Eternity which some believe lies at the bottom of the Maelstrom."

"Does it?"

"Whether it does or doesn't matters not," her daughter said turning back to look out at the waters. "I will destroy it. Azshara wanted to entice the sin'dorei to come to her finally after all these millennia. With them combined with her naga they would finally have the strength necessary to defeat the night elves and their Alliance allies. Simply a shortsighted petty revenge. I seek something greater…and I shall have it."

"And what is that?" Raeva asked almost afraid of the answer. She could see in her daughter's eyes that she bordered on madness. In all of history those that spoke as she did now usually were insane. Deathwing was such a being that came to her recollection.

The woman turned to look back at her mother. "A much more ordered society than any this world has seen. The race of my father's is what I will model mine after. A structured society with our people at the top and all others subservient to us. The war between the Horde and Alliance will be the catalyst. The naga queen can have her vengeance during that war, but her people will answer to me. With the blood elves leading the Horde…as it should be instead of the orcs…the Horde will win easily. The sin'dorei will rule this world as they did millennia ago. But this time I…a master of the Force…will be their queen…not some weak hedonistic mage surrounded by sycophants."

"You speak madness," her mother finally stated.

"Madness?" She leaned closer to Raeva. Another shudder went through the mother as the daughter laughed. "My father's race conquered worlds, mother. And we blood elves will do the same beginning with Azeroth!" Raeva shuddered again…her daughter was mad.

* * *

Kitali walked the steps to the Temple of Elune. Once the dragons had arrived, Lady Tyrande had greeted her with a warm smile and told her Zharn was in the temple waiting for her. The draenei gave the high priestess a weary smile with thanks and walked the entire way dreaming about a soft bed and a long rest. But as much as she wanted to collapse into a fitful slumber she wanted to see her husband more. Sisters of Elune greeted her around every corner. She knew she looked disheveled, but none of them seemed to notice or care. Once out of their sight she blew out of the corner of her mouth at the stray hairs that had fallen into her face. Around another corner she would be at the room where Daneel and Demira first met with Tyrande…and where she was told Zharn had been spending most of his time. With a deep breath she entered the room to see the orc sitting near a table. Leaning on the table was his cane, and he smiled at her with a big toothy and tusky grin. Her heart warmed and gave her renewed energy at seeing him. She was a few steps into the room when he held up his hand.

"Stay right there," he said to her.

"I'm too tired to play this game, Zharn," she said with a sigh and began to take another step.

"But you'll like this one…I promise," he said. "Just…stay right there. I have something I want to show you."

"Zharn," she began as he moved his hand towards the cane. Then her eyes widened when he threw it several feet across the room. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I don't need it anymore," he said as he stood. Kitali gasped. He smiled at her and took a slow step forward. "Tyrande has been helping me in my recovery," he said taking another step. "With what Daneel started in Northrend after the attack…and the additional efforts of the spirits of the elements near the Maelstrom…she has asked Elune to finish what was started." He leapt in the air and somersaulted to land on both feet. He performed a backflip. Kitali brought her hands to her mouth. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I've been completely healed," he said with a jog up to her. He stopped just in front of her. With wide eyes she stared at him from head to toe. She was no longer tired…she was elated. He picked her up and looked into her face. She giggled at the sensation because she was wrapped in his huge muscular arms and her hooves were off the ground. It was a sensation she had thought no longer possible. "You know how much I have wanted to do this, my love," he said. "I love you, Kitali. I LOVE YOU!" he shouted.

There were giggles out in the halls of the temple. Everyone had been looking forward to this moment when the husband and wife were reunited. Judging by Kitali's surprise he knew that Daneel had kept his recovery secret as well. He had told the jedi what had happened a day before when the dragons had arrived in Astranaar. No doubt after he had departed company with his wife he had told Demira the news as well. Daneel would not have told the mage before then…she was horrible at keeping secrets from Kitali. And all of the secrecy was worth it. Holding his wife now as she giggled and looked into his eyes…he felt the strongest he had ever felt…and he was the happiest he had ever been.

"So," he said as tears of joy ran down the draenei's cheeks. "Are you impressed? Was this a game worth playing?" To answer him she took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately.


	9. We've Got It All Wrong

**_Part Eight: We've Got it all Wrong_**

"That insolent child!"

Servants and warriors dodged their queen's tentacles as they thrashed about the throne room smashing furniture and statues made in her likeness. She could not accept the news from Northrend that the sith called Narcissis had killed scores of her faithful. Worse was that she knew it was a challenge from the impetuous elf. She had warned that old red skinned man, Drakus, time and again to keep a tight leash on the child. She had great power, but her mind was fragile like her mother's. Despite her misgivings, the young woman was the key for her success. After the Sunwell was tainted she would send Narcissis to the sin'dorei as her emissary welcoming all highborne back into the fold of her kingdom. The half-breed would come to them wielding a great new power that would change all sin'dorei by removing their addiction to the arcane energies provided by the Sunwell. By ending their afflictions they would welcome the young woman as a savior, and thus they would also love their queen as they had millennia before because they would know the gift given to them by Narcissis was a gift from her…their queen. Placing the young sith as a ruler on the surface of the world would ensure the total loyalty of the blood elves, but one false move by the elven child could spell disaster rivaling the Sundering ten thousand years earlier. Azshara had not seen or spoken to Drakus in over a decade, and now it seemed Narcissis was unleashed with delusions of grandeur. Her scheme for retribution was painstakingly planned with backup plans, and now this child born of a mother from this world and a father from another had derailed all of them. Anger boiled to the point she wanted to destroy everything around her, but logic kept her head cool. She closed her eyes and settled back to lounge in her throne. The naga in the room with her began to emerge from their hiding places. She had not acted against her faithful for over ten thousand years and she wasn't about to start now. Azshara opened her eyes and looked about the room. Her servants resumed their places at the base of her throne. Two guards also returned to their stations near the entrance to the throne room.

"Contact our spies amongst the sin'dorei," she said. It didn't matter if she addressed any one naga in particular…they all loved her enough that she knew her commands would be carried out by several of them. "Give them the description of this elf. I want her found and that information brought to me!"

One of the female naga approached the throne and bowed her scaly head. "My queen, the survivor mentioned that another was with her. A female elf with red hair."

For the first time since learning of the traitor's attack on her subjects, Azshara smiled. "Excellent. Include that information when you contact our…friends. I want to know where they are at all times. And I want that information brought back directly to me and no other. Absolutely no actions are to be taken against these two…I will deal with them myself." She leaned back in her throne and closed her eyes. "Go!"

Several of her faithful swam quickly from the room eager to carry out her commands. The redhead could only be Raeva her once loyal handmaiden from so long ago. Azshara never intended for the mother to ever meet the daughter, but apparently that plan had also failed. She reached out to sense Thera'gon, but nowhere in the world could she find him. A little of the anger began to boil inside her again. The bastard sith child probably killed him too. Not that it mattered much to Azshara. He was meant only as a distraction for the night elves and his blind devotion and lust for her made him the perfect pawn. She opened her eyes and swam to leave her throne room ignoring the bowed heads of her subjects. At the doorway she stopped and looked back at one of the captains of her legions of warriors.

"Assemble the tribes," she said to the warrior. "Have them gather near the shores of Ashenvale. Tell them to prepare for war."

"My queen," she replied with bowed head. Azshara swam from the room towards her private quarters. Assembling the tribes this soon was not part of the original plan, but perhaps the war on the night elves could proceed ahead of schedule. She knew they were searching for Thera'gon's monsters on the land…they would never expect an attack from the sea.

* * *

Raeva and her daughter faced the mountain where Drakus' base was hidden near the summit. During their trek to this place she finally learned her daughter's name, Narcissis. However, the young woman did not like her name because it was given to her by the sith lord who trained her. She wanted an elven name. When Raeva had asked her why she only replied that she was an elf not a sith. She may have learned their ways, lived by their code, and knew how to use most of their technology…but she never identified with her father's race. What she did use from the sith she did so because she thought it beneficial for the elven race, but never would she claim her sith heritage. Raeva sensed hatred in the woman towards the species that ran deeper than any other emotion. What it must be like to hate a part of yourself. Her daughter changed emotional states on a whim as they journeyed and she found out that during her training Drakus had tortured her daughter repeatedly even when she did not fail in her given tasks. The sith didn't like her because she was not a pureblood. Raeva assumed that was what lead to her daughter's borderline madness. Much of the trip here from the coast the woman was lucid and quite logical. It was times when her anger boiled to the surface that concerned Raeva. When her daughter tapped into the dark side of the Force it was matched only by her daughter's madness. She hated the sith…hated Azshara and her naga because they schemed with the sith to use her as a puppet…and she hated the night elves for what they had done to Raeva. With all that hatred she was surprised her daughter had any compassion especially for her, but it was there if only a small amount and only for her. Her concerns for the sin'dorei were not based on any compassion she may have felt for her race but rather for a need of a powerbase and what could be better than one's own people? When deciding on a name to give her daughter…something she missed out when the woman was only an infant…she thought hard about it for the better part of a day. With the emotional instability she had and her grand schemes for power, Raeva figured her daughter was much like Illidan the Betrayer and so the previous night she suggested Illiana to the woman as a new name. At first she said nothing, but that morning before they arrived at the mountain the woman smiled to her mother and thanked her for the new…elven…name. Raeva would never tell her it was a feminine version of Illidan in case she knew who the mage was and what it implied. She loved her daughter as any parent would love a child, but Illiana scared her more than any being she had ever met in over ten thousand years.

Both women looked up at the hidden fortress through blowing snow. Raeva wondered why they had come to this place, but Illiana was not forthcoming only saying her mother would soon find out. Raeva didn't care much for surprises, but for her love for her daughter she came to this place yet a third time. With a nod of her head Illiana began walking to the entrance for the lift. Raeva followed. Snows had continuously fallen and harsh winds always blew so over the past few days the tracks from her trek here when she found Drakus' body had been wiped clean from the landscape. This was a dark place much like her daughter. The air seemed colder here than in other places in the world she had been to…or at least it seemed to have more of a bite.

"In this base is the key to my ultimate victory," Illiana said ahead of her. "My father's people held many secrets from the rest of the world…even from Azshara."

"You should not underestimate her, my daughter," Raeva shouted above the winds. "She is very powerful…perhaps the most powerful being on this planet…even more than the dragons when they were Aspects."

"She is a mage who wields arcane magics," came the reply. Illiana did not bother looking back. "I know you understand a little of the Force. Arcane magics are useless against a trained Force user like me."

"And the reverse is also true," Raeva replied with a nod. Her daughter stopped and looked back at her. Somehow her blue eyes shined brighter here in the whiteness of the north. "Your Force abilities will not affect an arcane user…you are stalemated. As much as you do not want her to underestimate you…you should also not do the same with her."

"But I have this!" Illiana held the saberstaff above her head and ignited both blades. The crimson coloring of the pure energy that made each one crackled as falling snow touched them. "With the Force at my command and this weapon she will be powerless against me!"

"Azshara also has weapons at her disposal…magical ones. Your weapon is not made of the Force…this I know. It's made of technology…and magic can work against it. The queen may be old in her ways but she is not stupid." Raeva stepped up to her daughter. "Even if she doesn't use her weapons against yours…how would you stop her if she decided to open the ground beneath you as the taurens did against my terentatek? What if she hurls objects at you as you would do against her through the Force? Just because direct attacks by each kind of energy repels the other doesn't mean there are other methods at either's disposal that are effective…and indirect." Illiana extinguished the blades and lowered the weapon as she looked at her mother. Her brow furrowed…not in anger…but in confusion. Raeva decided this was the time to be the mother she should have always been. "Think, my child, about the wider ramifications of a confrontation with Azshara. The broader scheme of what can or may happen when you two meet…for you have assured that by what you did back at those ruins. She will hunt us down. But it will not be one of her soldiers or underlings that will come for you, Illiana. You have directly challenged her which has not been done in millennia. She is spiteful and will come for you herself. Are you prepared for that? Are you sure that you understand what you have set in motion?"

Illiana looked at her mother for a moment and then smiled. "Inside I will show you, mother," she said confidently. "I have imagined all of what you suggest and more." She held the hilt of her saberstaff between them. "This is but a small testament to the technology you mention. Inside this base is more…much more…and I will unleash it upon her if she tries to stop me from what I mean to accomplish." Raeva shuddered as her daughter's eyes changed before her. "If I cannot rule this world…then no one will…and inside this base is the means I will use to ensure that it happens as I wish it."

Raeva turned her head slightly but kept her eyes on Illiana's. "What? What is it that you have in this base?"

"You know what happened at Theramore?" Raeva nodded afraid of what her daughter was about to say. "If I cannot have Azeroth as mine to rule…then Theramore will be as but a candle in the wind with what I will unleash. Even Sargeras will tremble at the power I hold in my grasp." Illiana looked up at the fortress. "I will have this world…or I will reduce it to rubble and then there will be no Azeroth left for anyone to rule…and not even the demon lord himself can stop me."

* * *

"Fly lower," Daneel cried out to Alexstrasza.

Below them, near the base of a mountain, there stood a fully grown leviathan and five immature ones. They had not yet arrived where the jedi sensed the dark side nexus, but close enough that the red dragons and their riders had grown cautious. Still…as prepared as they were the attack came as a surprise. Tariolstrasz was the first struck by the largest of the Force created beasts. Tentacles snapped from the tree line like vines and wrapped around the forelimbs of the magnificent dragon. He struggled against the leviathan as it pulled him towards its blisterpacks. Tariolstrasz responded by breathing fire at the creature, but the arcane magics proved ineffective against the beast imbued with the Force. Heroically Kuro had jumped in front of the leviathan and lashed out with half-transformed claws. As it reared more in annoyance than in pain it released the red dragon and focused on the black one in human form. Tariolstrasz fell to the ground with mangled paws unable to act quickly enough to help Kuro as she was entangled in the leviathan's tentacles and pulled into a blisterpack. She screamed in horror as it began to close around her. The others could not help as Demira, sitting atop Cielstrasza, unleashed her Force empowered spells against two of the smaller creatures while the dragon strafed them from above. Kandrostrasz concentrated on another smaller one. The two remaining immature beasts moved in towards the crippled red dragon leaving only Daneel atop Alexstrasza to aid Kuro. It was now as the blisterpack was closing that Kuro saw the jedi standing on the red queen's back…almost at her tail.

"Can you keep your tail straight?" he cried out to the Life Binder as she angled towards the largest leviathan.

"Yes," she replied as her tail straightened.

"Good. Keep it straight and just before you reach it I want you to pull up," the jedi yelled.

With a nod Alexstrasza did as the jedi asked. He watched the blisterpack as it now fully encompassed Kuro. If they did not act soon the leviathan would begin feeding from her…draining her life energy. As the great red dragon flew closer to the leviathan, Daneel walked further out along her rigid tail. Just when she was in range to unleash her own attack at the leviathan she angled sharply upwards strafing the giant beast. It roared at her and tentacles snapped out towards her. She ignored them as she flew away from it. But the jedi…at the last second…leapt from her tail. He fell twenty feet towards the leviathan…his hands raised above his head holding the hilt of his lightsaber. Just before he would land on the back of the leviathan's head he ignited the green blade and thrust it into the base of the neck as he landed. The tentacles snapped back from the dragon as it reared in anguish. Its roar filled the nearby forest…a forest full of dead trees and no vegetation…no life at all for over a thousand yards in any direction from the base of the mountain. The sound echoed in a lifeless chasm. Daneel withdrew the blade and thrust it again and again into the head of the leviathan. Finally it slumped to its knees and then fell forward dead as it hit the ground. Wasting no time the jedi ran along its back to the blisterpack holding Kuro. Using the green blade he cut the fleshy opening around the captured black dragon. Her eyes were closed and her breathing labored…the blisterpack had worked that fast. The jedi extinguished his blade and placed the hilt on his belt. He picked up the unconscious Kuro and cradled her as he used the Force to jump from the leviathan.

Once on the ground he surveyed the battlefield. Demira and Cielstrasza had landed and battled one of the smaller beasts to his left about a hundred yards away. His wife held her own lightsaber ignited at her side while she hurled fireball after fireball at the creature. Some of its skin had burned, but as he feared it was also resistant to Force attacks. Demira's fireballs just were not potent enough to hurt the beast. Fortunately, Cielstrasza was using her claws and tail to inflict more damage. While the mage distracted the immature leviathan, the dragon was using brute strength to wear it down and would eventually slay it…if the dragon did not tire first. Daneel looked to his right where he spotted Kandrostrasz using the same tactics as his dragon counterpart against another of the immature creatures. It was already bleeding profusely from several gauges and cuts along its flanks. Ahead of him Alexstrasza, after aiding him in killing the larger beast had flown to the side of the injured Tariolstrasz. Even with his mangled forepaws he fought beside his queen against two of the smaller leviathans. Daneel sighed. Smaller was perhaps an incorrect term as even immature leviathans were equal in size to all of the dragons save Alexstrasza. The corpse behind him was almost half again bigger than the former Aspect. Daneel stretched out through the Force. He had spotted four of the immature leviathans engaged with his companions, but where was the fifth? He gasped and looked in the area behind his wife. An unconscious Kuro fell to the ground.

Alexstrasza spun around and kept her tail rigid…more than she had when the jedi walked along it before jumping onto the back of the largest leviathan. She felt her tail connect and then something give after it struck. Completing her spin she faced a headless leviathan collapsing to the ground. Where she had knocked the head to she did not care. From the corner of her eye she saw the black dragon fall from the jedi's grasp. He pulled his arms before his chest as he looked in the direction of his wife fighting another leviathan alongside Cielstrasza. The dragon queen's eyes widened as the air before the jedi's hands churned and began to glow bright white. A ball of energy formed in front of him and grew in size. It was about twenty feet in diameter within seconds, and she felt the radiance from the energy ball created by Daneel through what he called the Force. She closed her eyes and sensed the energy coming from all around them but originating at a great distance. It was life energy…and waves of it were coming from her as well as from somewhere outside the lifeless zone they now fought in. She felt nothing…no pain…no indication that it was even happening, but as she opened her eyes she understood what he was doing. He wasn't pulling the energy from living things, but from the wider energy created by them. It came from outside the area they now fought in because there was no life here. Where there was no life there also was no Force. She could feel it and with reasonable assurance knew the jedi could as well. His attunement to this energy field surprised and fascinated her. She always knew it was there and in their conversations knew he also was aware of it…he just called it something different, but now for the first time she saw him using it…manifesting it into an attack…harnessing the energy like no other on Azeroth. But why was he building up energy? There was nothing behind his wife that the Life Binder could see or sense. Suddenly he pushed his arms forward and the ball flew through the air. About ten feet behind Demira it impacted something…something large. A blinding light exploded throughout the area as the telekinetic wave struck the leviathan that had cloaked itself with the Force. It writhed in agony as the wave tore its body apart. The concussion of the impact knocked the mage, dragon, and the visible leviathan to the ground. After a few more seconds the light dissipated leaving no trace of the cloaked leviathan. The jedi had annihilated the creature. Alexstrasza smiled. She turned her attention towards the remaining beast attacking Tariolstrasz. She opened her mouth to unleash an attack, but this time instead of arcane fire she exhaled a plume of pure Force energy at the creature. It disintegrated within seconds. Alexstrasza…the Life Binder…the former Aspect of Life…and…as the jedi claimed a physical manifestation of the Living Force…had used that which she knew intimately to destroy the beast and harnessed the energy that was always available to her…she just never thought to use it as the jedi had until now. After a few more moments the remaining two leviathans were destroyed and their threat was ended.

* * *

Raeva stared in wide-eyed amazement as her daughter led her deeper and deeper into the mountain. Both times before she had only seen the fortress above where Drakus dwelled, but now she was seeing a part of the sith base that was immensely huge. It seemed they had hollowed out the entire mountain. The two women traversed through cavernous hallways with ceilings twenty to thirty feet high and larger rooms with columns larger in diameter than some of the oldest trees. She had lost count of how many lifts they had used to descend from level to level. Before they made their descent Illiana had activated the power generator and everywhere they walked was lit by large artificial lights and in the background was a continuous humming of power lines and technology. But what was strange was that the technology that was obviously present did not match with the architecture. The walls and columns were cut from stone with tools that left the surfaces smooth to the touch. But unlike the fortress the deeper they traveled into the mountain the fewer sith influences were apparent. To Raeva the work appeared to match those of the dwarves.

"The sith didn't build this place," Illiana said ahead of her almost sensing Raeva's next thoughts. Her voice echoed off the bare stone walls and down empty corridors. "They found it about nine hundred years ago."

"They found it?" Illiana nodded. "Then who _did_ build this place?" she asked looking around.

"My guess would be the earthen or their dwarven descendants," the young elf replied. "Drakus told me that when they decided to leave their ship in orbit above the planet they found this place. It was their first base of operations on this world. They found it abandoned and had not been occupied for years…perhaps centuries or even millennia. The sith took over the upper levels and then over the years explored the lower levels like where we are now. They found strange machines and technologies not present anywhere else they had searched on Azeroth. Drakus and a few others combined their devices with those they found here to reactivate this complex and restart the original machines. They used that combined technology to make travel this deep easier than what had previously existed. The sith didn't have much and only a couple of engineers, but they had made a discovery just before Sargeras found them…and that technology is what is present here combined with what they found."

"What kind of discovery? I thought all of this was theirs," Raeva stated waving a hand at the walls around them.

"Drakus said they were on a world called Alzoc," Illiana said as they walked. "They were fleeing from their enemies after a great loss. On that world they found old ruins buried in ice. He said that those had once belonged to a race called Rakata that had perished over twenty thousand years before they found that place, but the technology was still active and much more advanced than anything they had. So they took what they could and learned how to use it. When Sargeras came to them and offered to bring them here…they brought some of that technology with them. It was only after they arrived here that Drakus and Narcis discovered that they possessed more than they ever imagined. One machine that was lost not long after they arrived he said could power anything from any energy source and was only the size of his fist. They found cloning machines that made copies of their bodies and medical droids…"

"What is a droid?" asked Raeva interrupting her daughter. As cold and malicious as she usually was, Illiana was not upset with her mother at all.

"They are artificial beings…machines…and they range in shape and size, but most that are down here are shaped like us with two arms, two legs, and a head. Some of the others just have two legs and barrels for bodies. Astromechs was what Drakus called those."

"There are some down here?" Raeva looked around again but had not seen any indication of anyone besides just the two of them.

"They are in adjoining rooms maintaining the machinery that keeps this place going. Drakus said they once had droids made for battle, but he never said if they used them or not. I have never seen one." She stopped and looked up causing Raeva to stop with her. "I suppose they wanted to build an army of them to take over the world, but something went wrong and he would never say...though I suppose he would never divulge all of his secrets to a 'lesser' being like me." She started walking again. "What they planned no longer matters. The last of their kind was killed over a year ago. None of the pureblood sith are left alive. We 'lesser' beings survived in a world where they in their superiority could not."

Raeva continued to follow her daughter with eyes scanning every inch of the base as they walked. There was no dust in the air and the floors were clean of rubble or even dirt. Everything seemed…sterile. Perhaps evidence of these droids even though she still had not seen one. "How many sith came here? Did Drakus ever tell you?" she asked thinking back to the concentric hallways and numerous rooms that lead to the inner chamber where the old sith's corpse still sat in that chair. If the number of rooms was any indication there had to be hundreds of the red skinned beings.

"Twenty to thirty I would guess," Illiana replied. "They converted the upper levels to something more to their liking."

"That's all?" Raeva asked incredulously. "There are hundreds of rooms up there."

"I know they kept slaves," her daughter answered. "They especially liked having dwarves and high elves. The dwarves they used for building other bases around the planet and the elves for their experiments. Some of the more hedonistic sith…mostly the human ones…kept the elves as sex slaves."

"Human sith?" Raeva asked. "I thought they were all red skinned with those facial tendrils like your father."

"Drakus taught me a lot about sith history and their culture. I may have been a 'lesser' being, but I was still Narcis' daughter and his blood flows in my veins. Matters little to me but it must have meant something to him or he would have killed me not long after you left," Illiana replied as they walked deeper into the mountain. "The sith race was once primitive, but thousands of years ago a ship from another world landed on their planet. The men and women aboard wielded great magics and were human…or at least appeared human." She stopped and turned to look at her mother. "I think it's the appearance thing that made some of them great spies on this world. I know he said some of them hid amongst the humans and had for centuries, but I think under the surface they were much different than the humans you have dealt with. For starters they lived for centuries like the pureblooded sith did. I think some of their internal organs were slightly different also. But in most regards they are very similar and could even breed with local humans just like the sith could with humans and elves. I know that they couldn't with most other races like dwarves and gnomes. Too many failures resulted I know when they tried. It had something to do about trying to survive on the surface and some sort of schism amongst themselves, but I never really understood what he meant by all of that kind of talk. Drakus said that some of the human sith had gone 'native' and started having families with humans of this world and living as them. The jedi's apprentice is a descendant of one of those human sith."

* * *

A lone sin'dorei male stood on a secluded beach in western Kalimdor. His spiked blonde hair flowed with the breeze off the ocean. He stood with arms crossed over his chest as he watched the female naga descend into the waters. After she had disappeared under the waves for a few minutes he spun on his heel. His long red cape swung wide as he walked towards the trees along the edge of the sandy beach. The warm sand felt good under his bare feet. His black boots were placed neatly beside a pack that leaned against the base of a tree. Secured to that tree was a small red tent. He stopped near the tent and knelt down over the pack. He reached for it and stopped. He cocked his head to the side and scanned the woods with glowing green eyes. A minute passed before he looked back down at the pack and reached inside.

* * *

"You mentioned that name before," Raeva said to her daughter. "Who or what is a jedi?"

"Well…those beings that first arrived thousands of years ago amongst the primitive sith…the humans…they were actually…"

Illiana was interrupted by a beeping at her hip. She reached down and retrieved a small device and thumbed a contact switch on its side. Raeva's eyes widened as a small projection of a male sin'dorei appeared above it. He had spiked hair and wore clothing similar to that of a mage or warlock with a long cape.

"My Lord," the man said with a bow of his head. "I apologize for my intrusion, but I have urgent news I must bring to your attention."

"Speak," Illiana said addressing the small image of the man. Raeva stared at this wondrous piece of technology. Like her daughter's lightsaber it had to be of sith origin.

"Queen Azshara has sent word to her spies to find you and report back to her," he said. His image flickered once or twice as he spoke. "We have been given explicit instruction not to approach you or your mother and report what we discover directly to the queen."

Illiana looked up at her mother and smiled before looking back at the man's image. "Good….very good. You will wait three days and then report back that you spied us traveling towards Durotar. There we booked passage on an airship to the Eastern Kingdoms. Undoubtedly she will want you to stay on our trail so you will have to go there yourself. Once you have landed contact me again for further instructions."

"Yes, my Lord," he replied before the image faded and disappeared. Illiana placed the device back on her belt.

"What was that?" Raeva asked.

"Drakus had many spies all over Azeroth," Illiana replied as she resumed walking the long corridor that led deeper into the mountain. "And now all of them are mine. Some of them like that man also act as spies for Azshara when they are not working for me." Raeva walked alongside her daughter. "Before he interrupted you asked about the jedi. Those humans that first met with the sith were outcast jedi. In their home galaxy they are an order of Force users who use the light side. But those that came to that world, called Korriban, used the dark side just like the sith. Since their expulsion those dark jedi…who from then on called themselves Dark Lords of the Sith…have hated the light-sided jedi. One of those that use the light side has come to this world in the past few years."

"Did he come looking for them?" Raeva asked. Illiana had not told her what the strange device was, but Raeva would ask her at another time. The woman's focus was elsewhere.

"My sources tell me his arrival was the result of a freak accident. Drakus and Father would have cowered in fear if they still lived when he arrived. You see…there was another war just before Sargeras brought the sith here…a war with the jedi. The sith were beaten and hunted almost to extinction. That's why they were fleeing when they found Alzoc. They fear the jedi because they are no match for the power that order possesses. But this jedi here now is just one man…and a single being is nothing to fear."

The two women approached a large door. Raeva stopped and stared at it while Illiana moved closer to the right side. Raeva was not sure how deep into the mountain they were but she knew it was a deeper than just the visible mountain when they were standing outside earlier that day. "Is this jedi a threat to us?" she asked her daughter.

"He is currently with the night elves so for now he is no concern to us," Illiana replied without looking back. "Besides…you are about to see why no one is a threat to us…not even Azshara." She touched a hidden panel next to the door and it slid open. Heat wafted towards them from the room on the other side and Raeva could see an orange glow in the distance. "We are several miles below the surface of the planet, mother. The dwarves or earthen or whomever had dug deep into the earth." She stepped towards the opening and indicated her mother join her entering the cavernous room. The glow came from the center which was actually a large hole that went deep into the planet. Suspended above that hole was a large machine with a bright silver cone pointed straight down into the hole. "My father first found this room and determined its depth. Then he along with Drakus constructed this drill using that Rakata technology I mentioned earlier," she said pointing at the strange contraption. "This hole goes all the way to the planet's core."

"For what purpose would someone dig that deep?" Raeva asked though she was afraid she already knew the answer. She didn't understand a lot about geology, but she knew that drilling that deep into the planet could not be good. The Old Gods were rumored to be buried deep under the surface by the Titans. But the sith would know nothing of that or care…there were other means to destroy a world than unleashing the Old Gods. The drill…it was a doomsday weapon of that she was certain. "Surely they did not mean to destroy it?"

"No, mother," Illiana replied with a smile. "But they did need gold. While in their galaxy gold is common and of little value, it's rare here and very valuable. At least…gold is rare on the surface. Nearer the planet's core gold is readily available, so they built this drill to get it. Droids would lower themselves into the chasm and retrieve the metal and bring it back up here, but they had not used the drill for the past couple of centuries."

"Narcis was always interested in power, Illiana," Raeva said looking down into the bottomless pit. "He always scoffed at us 'natives' and our predilection for wealth."

"But not all of their spies were slaves," Illiana replied with a wave of her finger. "Power and information sometimes costs coin…and gold is the coin of the realm. So by drilling they had all the wealth they could muster…and with it power and information. But as with all things they had done on this world they did it too little or too late…or both."

"I fail to see how this would keep anyone from being a threat to us. What do you mean to do with it…threaten the world's gold supply? Most would not even believe you…that there is gold deep under the ground and it is plentiful."

Illiana's eyes widened and a maniacal grin crossed her lips. "Their gold? Nothing so trivial. Should this drill fire into the planet's core it will become unstable and the world will end." Raeva's eyes widened in horror. Her daughter was serious. The young woman opened the front of her shirt to expose the skin between her breasts. A three inch long scar ran down her chest. "While I live this planet also lives. But should my heart ever stop beating this drill will fire into the core. The instability will cause a chain reaction that will result in this planet's destruction. No one dares touch me if they want to live." And just when she thought her daughter could not frighten her more, Raeva was exposed not only to her daughter's deepest madness but also her genius. What frightened Raeva most, however, was that her daughter meant to be Azeroth's only ruler. Even if she succeeded in her plans and ruled for thousands of years until she died a natural death…when Illiana died so to would Azeroth.

* * *

Celeste walked cautiously through the underground caverns. To her left was Kitali and her right was Ysera. They found empty room after empty room. She knew somewhere there had to be power generators because each room was well lit with artificial lighting and they had descended level after level on functioning lifts. The rest of the green dragons and Adaria had stayed on the upper level of the fortress they had discovered on the mountainside. Through the Force she knew this was the source of the dark side nexus her master had sensed. High above in the main chamber of the fortress they had found the remains of a long dead sith, but it was not the source of the strong presence of the dark side in this place. While the draenei and the dragon could not feel it, Celeste knew something sinister had happened here. The dark side of the Force was strong here and the deeper they went the stronger its presence. Voices from everywhere and across hundreds of years echoed through the Force in her mind. People had been slaughtered here and their cries echoed throughout the Force. That strong presence sent a continuous chill down the padawan's spine…it was cold here. Haunted. Kitali and Ysera did not feel the cold…in fact they mentioned that it was quite warm which surprised them for how deep they had gone, but Celeste was colder here than she had been outside in the blowing snow. She pulled her outer robe tighter around her torso wishing she had worn more underneath. With the Force she could stand naked in a blizzard and maintain her body temperature, but here…

The three women came to the entrance of a large cavernous room and stopped. Ahead of them was an arrangement of all manners of machinery and equipment. Lights flashed from one machine or another, and walking busily amongst them were mechanical beings.

"This looks like Ulduar," Kitali said. Ysera nodded as she looked out on the scene before them. "I saw mostly iron dwarves there and only a few other artificial beings. These look like mechagnomes."

"Your sith must have found an old Titan facility," Ysera added. "In the beginning they had several places like this arranged around the world. Ulduar was a prison, but this place may have been what they originally planned and then abandoned to make Ulduar."

Kitali pointed at a mechanized being strolling on two legs but with a barrel-shaped body. "That's not a mechagnome. That's one of those droids like from the Rakata island base we destroyed over a year ago. There were a few left on that factory still functioning when Zharn and I were stranded there."

"It would seem that the sith combined their technology with that of the Titans." The green dragon looked down at Celeste. "Is this the source of the dark nexus? I cannot sense the presence of any Old Gods here."

The padawan shook her head still looking at the droids and mechagnomes diligently performing their tasks apparently oblivious to the three women. "I sense death…and suffering…thousands of voices crying out in terror…" her voice trailed off. Kitali looked down at her. "Something happened here long ago. So many deaths…their suffering is like a lingering echo in the Force. I can hear them everywhere. And there is something else…deep under us…something full of loathing and hatred…and very, very old."

"What you are describing sounds like an Old God," Ysera stated looking back at the work going on further ahead in the room.

"But that is not the source of the dark side nexus…it's just a presence…and not a fresh one like it was still here. That presence is but an echo like the voices. If there was an Old God here they are here no longer. The deaths and suffering…that is the source of the nexus…like all of those voices were screaming in horror at one time and then suddenly silenced."

"Could this be where the Curse of the Flesh occurred?" Kitali asked. "The gnomes and dwarves both believe…and there is some proof…that they were all once either made of stone or metal. Then the Old Gods cursed them with flesh making them mortal and soft." She joined the other two looking at the room before them. "Such a change could be as you describe. A lot of pain and suffering as your very being is twisted and sundered."

"We still need to keep searching this place," Ysera said. "If these leviathans were created here then we need to discover that secret."

"Can we get past all of those droids and mechagnomes? I know in some places they will ignore you, but in others they will attack any intruders. So far they are not interested in us, but if we go on further will they attack us?" Kitali looked at the others as she spoke.

"I can scout ahead and see if there is more for us to discover," Celeste replied. "I can cloak myself in the Force and become invisible even to machines." She removed her outer robe and handed it to the draenei. Goosebumps covered her exposed abdomen and arms. "I'll return shortly with what I discover."

The padawan waved her arm before her face and she disappeared from the dragon and shaman's sight. Calming her breathing she walked slowly towards the machines and mechanical beings moving about the room. The room seemed to go forever into the mountain. Everywhere were machines of differing designs and functions, but what those specific functions were she did not know. All of the droids were of the similar two legged and barrel-shape as the first one Kitali spotted and the mechagnomes were everywhere, but did not seem intelligent or independent as she had thought they were. These moved and acted like automatons…like the droids. Could the sith have done something to them or were they like this when the sith found them?

When she reached the far end there was another doorway with another room, but it was empty. Once past the door way she stopped and looked back at all of the activity she had just passed. None acted like she was even there. She looked over her shoulder. The next room was empty like all the others they had come across, so where did the work of this machinery go? With a wave of her arm she cloaked herself again and walked back amongst the droids and mechagnomes. This time instead of heading straight back to Kitali and Ysera she went to her right. It was the same distance to reach its far end as it had to go across on her first trip, and as before none noticed her presence. What she did find, however, was another room full of machinery and activity. She explored this room as well still unsure of what all the work was for. Temperature control for the base? Lighting? Power for the computers they had found on the upper levels where the sith had lived? None of those answers were apparent to her. She would need someone like Windi Weathergear to discover those. Perhaps once they had explored the entire base they could send for her. The gnome still operated at the same compound as when she first became Daneel's padawan.

At last Celeste reached the end of what had to be the fourth room full of machines when she stood at a doorway overlooking a great chasm. One machine extended from the room she stood in and extended over a hole with an orange glow but seemed to have no bottom. From the bottom of the overhanging machine was a silver pointed cone directed down into the abyss. She neared the edge and as she did she heard voices below. Looking down she spied two elven women talking to each other. One was redheaded while the other's hair was black as the night sky. Both were wearing black bodysuits.

"Their gold? Nothing so trivial. Should this drill fire into the planet's core it will become unstable and the world will end," she heard the black-haired elf say. She opened the top of her bodysuit to show the other woman something that Celeste could not see from her distance and angle. "While I live this planet also lives. But should my heart ever stop beating this drill will fire into the core. The instability will cause a chain reaction that will result in this planet's destruction. No one dares touch me if they want to live." Celeste gasped and it must have been loud enough for the other two women to hear because they looked up in her direction. The padawan held her breath…she was still cloaked in the Force and they shouldn't see her. She backed away from the edge but still close enough to see the women below. The one with black hair had the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

"Did you hear that?" the redhead asked the other. "We are not alone."

"Of course we are not alone. The droids are working in the rooms above. That was only wind from one of the Rakata machines. We have nothing to fear here," the other replied.

The redhead looked back at the other. "I don't like this, Illiana. If Azshara should attack you she will try to kill you. Does she even know about this…this thing…in your chest?"

The black haired woman turned and began walking to the end of the room below. "Azshara is no threat to me."

"But if she is, my daughter, then if she defeats you then the world will end," the redhead pleaded falling instep with the one she called daughter. Celeste peered closer to the edge watching them.

"If I die, mother, then what do I care if the world dies with me?"

"And that jedi you mentioned? What if he finds us? You said Drakus and Narcis would be scared of him. If he is that powerful to scare them…he could also defeat you."

"Again…if I die then what do I care?" the daughter replied. "But he is off chasing beasts…yours and Thera'gon's. As far as he and the night elves are concerned that dead man is the threat they are facing…not me or Azshara. By the time they realize what is truly happening it will be too late for him or his apprentice or anyone else to do anything about it."

The women walked out of Celeste's earshot. She leaned back against the wall with eyes wide focusing on the machine before her that extended out over the abyss. A drill was what the daughter had called it…a drill to the center of the planet. She studied many histories in the old sith base in Eversong Woods and knew a great many things about technology and science that others on Azeroth did not know. Drilling into the core of a planet was tantamount to its annihilation. The terentateks…the leviathans…they were all distractions meant to keep them from discovering this place. Suddenly Celeste felt very warm. She reached for her holocommunicator and tried to activate the switch, but there was either too much interference from the Titan machines or something the sith had placed here was blocking it, but she could not get a signal out to Daneel. Kitali and Ysera had to know what she discovered. They had to get word to her master and the night elves. And they had to keep track of these two women especially if just to keep the daughter alive at all costs. Everything they thought they knew was wrong…so terribly wrong. They were chasing the wrong people!

In a fit of panic she turned and ran through the machines and droids. She ran until she reached Kitali and Ysera who were waiting patiently by the doorway where she had left them. But she was too late. On the other side of the room emerged the two elves. There was no shadow to hide the dragon or the shaman, so Celeste ran past them towards the two elves. As she did her Force cloak was dropped and she yelled at Kitali and Ysera as the passed them. Their shocked expressions revealed that they had not heard the two women come into their room. Celeste's sudden appearance and sense of urgency caused both women to drop into ready positions.

"Do not harm the one with black hair!" She grabbed the hilt of her lightsaber from her belt and activated the twin violet blades. "If that one dies so does the whole planet!"


	10. From Bad to Worse

**_Part Nine: From Bad to Worse_**

Kuro grimaced and tried to open her eyes. She was lying against a tree or rock…she wasn't sure which…and her body ached in places she didn't know she had. Her mouth was dry and her nose was plugged with mucus. If this was what it felt like to be sick in a human body she regretted choosing this form. But where she was and how she got here she could not remember. The last thing she could remember was sitting in a cage in a night elven city. She cracked her eyes open and at first only saw a gray blur. She closed them again because there was a sharp stabbing pain just behind her eyes when the light first entered her vision and the gray became lighter. Then someone pushed on her shoulder making her wince. Why did they have to hit so hard? Were the night elves trying to punish her? Was this their torture for her because she was a black dragon? If they were killing her she wished they would hurry up and just finish it…end the pain.

"Kuro…can you hear me?" she heard a male voice ask.

For a second she tried to place the voice. It was familiar somehow. Someone she knew was trying to talk to her…someone she had met recently. Not one of the night elves but someone else.

"Kuro?"

She knew that voice, but try as she might she still could not quite place it. There was a hollowness to the sound…perhaps that was the reason she had trouble recognizing the speaker. Or maybe it was the constant ringing that made it sound strange.

"I think she can hear us," the voice continued. "She winces every time I say something."

The hand pushed harder and the pain was almost unbearable. She groaned. She wished whoever it was would stop pushing so hard, but they kept pushing and the stabbing pain in her shoulder moved to her spine sending another jolt through her entire body. 'Please stop!' she screamed in her mind.

"Kuro…try opening your eyes again."

It hurt too much the last time she tried, but she wanted answers. She wanted to see the face with the voice. She wanted to tell that person to stop pushing on her. It was easier to open them this time. Now instead of a gray blur she saw a light blur and some dark shapes. She moved her eyes from the left to the right trying hard to focus on anything. The pain was horrific and she instinctively wanted to shut her eyes again, but she fought those instincts. She was a dragon. Deciding to focus on the left image she concentrated hard. The voice sounded like it came from her left and it was also her left shoulder that hurt. Or was it the right one? So much of her body hurt that she wasn't exactly sure. She blinked hard and the image she was focusing on became a little clearer. She tried to take a deep breath to center her thoughts and concentration, but as she began to inhale the pain in her chest increased a thousand-fold. She wanted to cry because the pain was so great. 'Please…make the pain go away!' she again screamed silently.

"Kuro…take your time," the voice said. The ringing was less now and she was certain she knew this person's voice, but what was his name? It was calm and soothing…friendly. "Just focus on me. That's it. Focus on my face."

The blur was now rounder…round like a face. It was mostly light pale brown with something silver across the top half and white along the very top and sides. She closed her eyes trying to remember who she knew that looked like that.

"Open your eyes, Kuro," the man said.

She tried to breathe deeply again. This time the pain was not so great, but the man was still pushing hard on her shoulder hurting her. She tried to speak, but only managed to moan. He would never understand that she wanted him to release his grip on her shoulder. She opened her eyes again. She saw a blurry face but still could not make out the finer details. Where eyes should have been was a silver metal band, and he had white hair that fell to his shoulders. Instantly she knew who was speaking to her. It was the jedi, Daneel. But he was…somewhere else…somewhere…he was on a dragon…a red dragon…Alexstrasza. He was riding her. And there was Tariolstrasz…she remembered him…she was riding on his back when something grabbed him…something hidden amongst the trees…something large…and then she jumped…

"NO!" Kuro screamed as she sat upright.

The pain jabbed at her again across her entire body. She remembered now being grabbed by the tentacles of the leviathan. It pulled her into something on its back and it closed around her. She was screaming when it closed shut and while she watched the jedi walk along Alexstrasza's tail. She looked to her left to see that same man kneeling on the ground beside her…smiling at her. She blinked a couple of times before looking to her right. There was Alexstrasza also kneeling in her elven form…and it was her hand that was lightly touching her right shoulder. The pain from the dragon queen's touch was gone now, but other pains still remained. Her vision was clearing and she saw the jedi's wife standing just behind him. So to was Kandrostrasz. Not far from them was Cielstrasza who was working with the mangled arms of Tariolstrasz. They were all in their mortal forms. He looked at her and smiled with a nod of gratitude. She looked back at the smiling jedi and former Aspect.

"Try not to move too suddenly or quickly," Alexstrasza said to her. "You were nearly dead when Daneel pulled you from the leviathan's blisterpack."

She nodded and tried to reply but her mouth and throat were too dry and she only managed a feeble squeak. Demira leaned forward and handed a water bottle to the jedi. He smiled and held the opening to her mouth, and Kuro took a drink. At first if felt like fire in her throat, but as more water flowed through the bottle into her mouth the burning lessened. He took the bottle away from her mouth and handed it back to the mage. Kuro smiled at the couple and gave them a slight nod.

"Just…try to relax," Daneel said as he guided her back to lying against…what was it she was lying against? Was it the leviathan's…corpse? "As I was slaying the beast it must have drained your energies faster just to try and keep itself alive. I am sorry for that."

"Y-y-you s-saved my l-l-life," she replied meekly. Her voice was only slightly back, but even speaking just a little was still very painful. "If you….had not acted…when you…did…I might…not be…talking now." She managed a meager smile, but judging by the reactions she received from the rest of them they were relieved to hear her voice even if it was weak. "Th-th-thank y-y-you."

Alexstrasza looked at the black dragon and smiled warmly at her. "You acted nobly and courageously. You put yourself in harm's way without thinking about it…something a black dragon has not done in thousands of years. I am proud of you, Kuro."

"You have my thanks as well," Tariolstrasz said to her. Kuro adjusted her eyes to focus on him. "You risked yourself to save me. I owe you my life." He left his compatriot's side and walked towards Kuro before kneeling by her. She grimaced at the condition of his arms. They were bandaged and obviously someone had tried healing them, but the damage was still severe enough they may never heal completely. She gave him a sorrowful look which only made his smile widen. "Don't worry about my arms. In time they will heal or I will adjust. I am just glad that you are alive and safe. My queen says you should fully recover in a day or two…and for that I am also grateful."

"You should get some rest so you can recuperate," the dragon queen said as she stood. Tariolstrasz and the jedi stood with her. "We have slain the creatures and the danger is past. For now, my friend, I want you to get some rest. I have done all I can to tend your wounds, but right now sleep will do you the most good."

"B-b-before I d-d-do," Kuro began, "How long w-w-was I out?"

"Little under an hour," Daneel replied. "Please listen to Alexstrasza. We are in no hurry to leave just yet, and I can explore the nexus alone."

"Y-y-you shouldn't," she said, but she felt her eyes begin closing. She was exhausted. Even just this little bit of time and conversation took a great deal of effort on her part. The leviathan had left her extremely weak. "P-p-promise me…you will not…go…alone."

"I promise," he replied with a smile. "I will take another with me. Now you need to get some sleep."

She closed her eyes and only intended to for a moment, and it seemed that way when she opened them again. However, she was not lying in the same place when she woke. Before she was in a desolate place with dead trees around them, but now she saw lush bushes and flowers…there were leaves on the trees. It was also much brighter when she first opened her eyes, and now the sun was setting and the stars were out in what sky she could see through the leaves. The air also smelled more fragrant instead of the dusty smell from before. She lifted her head and looked around her. Nearby was a small campfire with a few small tents around it. Demira was leaning over the fire stirring something in a cooking pot and beside her was Cielstrasza. Kandrostrasz was sitting near them and she could hear them talking and laughing while the mage cooked. Tariolstrasz was sitting beside the other male and looking off into the woods. She noticed his arms were more bandaged than before. He snuck a look back at her and then back at the woods when their eyes met. Curious. Cielstrasza looked at her and nodded to the others before walking towards her. Kuro took a deep breath. The pain she felt before was gone, but there was still a soreness to her muscles and joints. With some effort she pulled herself up to sit against the tree she was lying near. She noticed they had placed her on a mat and that there was a small tent to her left. By the time she looked back to the others the female dragon had come and sat beside her. Kuro smiled meagerly while keeping her head down. She looked at the other dragon with her eyes.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked. She worked her fingers trying to get some of the soreness out of them.

"About a day," Cielstrasza replied with a grin. "That jedi wasn't kidding when he said those creatures were dangerous even to us. None of our usual tactics worked against them. If the Life Binder and the jedi had not used their special abilities we might not have survived." Kuro looked back over at the others and noticed that Tariolstrasz quickly looked away from her and back into the woods. Cielstrasza giggled beside her. "I think he likes you, Kuro. He's been by your side ever since we moved out of the dead zone to this place. When you started to stir is when he rushed over to sit with the rest of us."

Kuro looked down at the ground still working her fingers. "I know he thinks I saved his life, but I was caught by the creature and almost killed. I wasn't much help. He's just glad to see I survived." She looked in his direction with her eyes while keeping her head down. He was looking at her. "I hope his arms will heal."

Cielstrasza leaned over closer to her and talked quietly. "No…he isn't just glad to see you are alive because you saved his life. He really likes you…you know."

Kuro looked up at the red dragon who winked at her. Her eyes widened as she looked back at Tariolstrasz. He quickly looked back away into the trees. "You mean he likes me as a…a…a mate?" She looked back at the other dragon who nodded and giggled. "Why?"

"He's a handsome dragon, Kuro. I know several reds who would be jealous of you right now having caught his attention."

"But I'm a black dragon," she protested. "I thought all of the reds hated my flight."

"You said it to Alexstrasza yourself…there is no more black dragonflight," the red replied. "Nor, for that matter, is there a blue flight either." She looked at Kuro and smiled. "I know there is a lot of history between our flights. Before today I would never have believed any black dragon would put themselves in harm's way to save another…but you did. And you more than any other would have more reason to not jeopardize yourself because you are the _last_ black dragon. I wouldn't have blamed you if you had simply stepped aside. I wouldn't like you as I do now…but I wouldn't blame you either. Call it a pragmatic outlook on your position in the world."

Kuro looked back at the ground feeling a little embarrassed. "I wasn't looking for a mate, Cielstrasza. I just wanted to keep my freedom. It had been so long since I didn't have Neltharion's voice in my head that I felt I was finally truly alive…and I just wanted to stay that way."

"Keeping your freedom wasn't why you leapt at the leviathan when it attacked. You jumped at the beast to save him, not yourself." She looked over to the other red dragon then back at Kuro whose head was lowered again. "What did you two talk about on the way down here? It must have been quite the conversation to get those feelings started between the two of you."

"We really didn't talk much about anything," Kuro replied telling a slight lie. Tariolstrasz had asked her a lot of questions and she answered all that she could. It felt good to hear someone ask her about herself and make it feel less like an interrogation and more of an actual interest in who she was. She liked the male dragon's demeanor. She had to admit that during that flight she did feel drawn to him because he was friendly, but she also never thought he could ever be interested in her. It was because of her loneliness that she felt that way towards him…or at least that was what she had convinced herself. Before the attack she had put those thoughts to the side, and now in the aftermath she wasn't sure what she felt. And more importantly, would such a pairing as Cielstrasza was suggesting even be feasible? "Perhaps he's just so grateful we're alive that he's confused. I'm just…not sure about anything yet. I'm still too weak to think clearly…and maybe we all are after what happened with the leviathans."

"So you want me to go tell him that?" the red asked as she started to stand. Without thinking Kuro grabbed her arm stopping her. She didn't know why at first and then didn't want to admit why. Cielstrasza sat back down and giggled again. "He is handsome."

"It's not that," Kuro said quietly. "I'm just…shocked…is all." She looked at the red who was smiling. "I know I feel that all of us are dragons and the color of our scales no longer matters. And he is handsome. But I also know that no matter what I may think there are many who will always see me as a black dragon and one of Deathwing's minions. And nothing I do will ever change that. I just…didn't think that anyone else…"

"Would feel the same way?" the red interrupted looking over towards Tariolstrasz. "For the most part I would say you are right. But if change is coming then it has to start somewhere. Why not with the two of you? Think of it…first it starts with the two of you…then other flights start doing the same…before you know it we won't know who belonged to what color flight." She laughed and looked back at the black dragon. "All I am saying is that he likes you. What happens after that is between the two of you and no one else. Who's to say that you weren't always meant to be together and that events happened this way to bring you to each other? Only Nozdormu could truly answer that question…if he would even do that. But when we leave and if you two are flying with each other the rest of us won't judge." Again she winked at Kuro.

"That's not likely to happen. I can't…" Kuro started to say as she brought her hand to her neck, but it was no longer there. She had grown so used to the magical collar that blocked her transformation to her dragon form that she didn't realize it had been removed. She looked at Cielstrasza as the red stood up.

"Alexstrasza took it off while you slept," she said answering the unspoken question. "She said you no longer needed it…and I for one agree." She turned and walked back towards the campfire while Kuro just stared at her…and Tariolstrasz.

* * *

Crimson blades clashed against violet ones as Celeste and Illiana dueled. They had moved from one room to the next as the jedi padawan retreated trying to avoid injuring the elf. The woman was strong in the Force that much Celeste could sense, but she had not been trained by a master like Daneel. Several times the padawan was given an opening for a killing blow only to pass on it knowing that the elf's fate was tied to the planet's. One false slip or misjudgment by the padawan could mean the end of all life on Azeroth. Killing the woman would mean the end of the world. The padawan brought her saber above her head twirling the blades. A shocked expression crossed the elf's face and she raised her saberstaff to block an incoming attack. Celeste was using a technique the elf had never seen before. Celeste brought her weapon down, and Illiana's block was late. The violet blade severed the hilt of the saberstaff. One blade extinguished as its power cell was destroyed by the attack. Illiana backed up holding the working half of the hilt while she threw the other half to the floor. She raised her free hand and tried to use the Force to push Celeste, but the padawan braced herself in the Force negating the elf's attempt. Behind them the redheaded elf fought against Kitali and Ysera. She also had a crimson bladed lightsaber, but where Illiana's had two blades like the padawan's hers was only a single-bladed weapon. They were wearing the other elf down and the lightsaber so far had not been a factor in that struggle and it was clear to Celeste that this younger one was willing to leave her mother behind if the situation came to that. She was watching Ysera cast a spell at the other…a second's distraction…and Illiana took advantage. She raised her arm and shot Force lightning at the padawan. The attack caught the young human in the chest and she fell to the ground writhing as the lightning coursed through her body. Her screams alerted the other women, and Kitali disengaged from her fight to run towards Illiana and Celeste. She raised her right arm as she ran while holding a totem in her left. Lightning sprouted from her fingers at the elf. Her attack struck Illiana on the shoulder causing her to cease hers on the padawan. She turned and growled at the draenei advancing in her direction. Illiana turned back and ran towards the lift at the end of the room and activated the controls once she reached it. Kitali stopped and knelt next to the unconscious Celeste and looked up to the fleeing elf. The remaining blade of her weapon was still ignited casting an eerie red glow on the walls around her as the lift ascended to the upper levels. In seconds she was gone from Kitali's sight. Shouting behind her made the draenei turn around to see the redheaded elf running in her direction, but not at her. When the woman got close Kitali reached out and tripped the elf causing her lightsaber to clatter to the ground. The crimson blade left scorch marks in the stone before extinguishing. Ysera came running up behind the elf and stopped near the fallen woman's feet. The elf turned over and looked up at the former Aspect. She took a deep breath and raised her hands in surrender. Kitali looked back down at Celeste and checked for a pulse. There was one but it was weak. Closing her eyes and reaching into her shaman's pouch, she cast a healing spell on the padawan. After a moment the draenei opened her eyes and rechecked the pulse of the human. It was stronger now. She glowered at the elf at Ysera's feet and stood.

"Who are you?" Kitali asked stomping over to stand next to the dragon. "And what are you doing in this place?" The woman just looked at her and said nothing. Kitali walked over and picked up the lightsaber and then back to stand by the dragon. "I'm only going to ask this one more time," Kitali said as she ignited the crimson blade and pointed it at the elf. Shock and horror was written on Raeva's face when the blade ignited. "Who are you?"

Hands still raised in surrender she looked at the draenei and then Ysera. "My name is Raeva." But her mind was racing. Who were these people? The human woman she surmised was the jedi apprentice Illiana had mentioned because of the lightsaber she wielded. But this draenei above her held Narcis' weapon like she had used one before. Was she the main jedi Illiana referred to? Was Illiana wrong in thinking the jedi was a man? Did the sith and draenei come from the same galaxy?

"What are you doing here?" Kitali repeated.

"Are you the jedi?" the woman asked her.

"She isn't, but I am," Celeste said from behind her companions. Neither took their eyes off the elf, but Raeva watched as the human stood up. Celeste reached out through the Force and her lightsaber flew through the air to her outstretched hand.

"You are the apprentice, then," Raeva said but she already had guessed that. "The one my companion mentioned. The one with sith blood in her family?"

"How would you know that?" Kitali asked for the padawan. "Only a select few know that secret."

"Have you been to the main chamber above us? That old sith knew," Raeva replied looking up at the draenei. She looked back at Celeste. "I also know you have a master that comes from another world. Came here seeking them…to finish what they started far away from here long ago."

"If that is what that old sith told you then he was lying," Celeste said as she walked to stand next to Kitali and Ysera. "That war ended centuries ago…long before my master was even born. But the sith in his galaxy did return and began another war…a war that almost brought their civilization to the edge of ruin." She knelt down next to Raeva and stretched out with the Force. "You're stalling. For your daughter's escape?" The elf's eyes widened. "I heard you talking near the pit. I know she is your daughter and I know that she has a dead-man's switch for that drill. It's tied to her heart…yes? If she dies the drill turns on and destroys Azeroth? But I sense that you are afraid of her…of what she plans?" Raeva nodded. "What is she planning besides the destruction of our world?"

Raeva looked at the other two standing above her. She recognized Ysera, but sensed that the human and draenei were actually in charge. Could she tell them what she feared? Could she trust them? She didn't want the end of the world…she never wanted that. Illiana's plans had nothing to do with the world's destruction…the drill was a failsafe for her protection from her enemies. Would they understand that…or believe it? And her daughter did scare her, but she was still her daughter. Despite all of the fear and doubt, Raeva loved her child. She couldn't think….didn't know what to do.

Celeste stood up and looked at Ysera. "Can you tell the others not to harm the other elf?"

"I already have," Ysera replied still looking down at Raeva. "I have told them to detain her. And I have told them why." She looked over at the other two women. "We need to get word to your master and my sister about what we have learned. There are no leviathans here, but this I think is more dire than what we originally came here to discover."

"Nothing we have learned still answers the question about Azshara. What is her role in all of this?" Kitali queried. Raeva gasped and they all looked back down at the elf. "I take it you know something about that?"

Raeva nodded. "I only know that we were meant as a diversion while my daughter and Azshara planned something else." There…she had said it. She had told them some of the truth. But should she tell them all of it that she knew?

"You were a diversion?" Celeste asked. "You mean with the terentateks? We know of Thera'gon. And the other, Malfus, was captured by the black dragon and was killed by his own hand in Astranaar."

Shock overtook Raeva again. These people knew more than she or Illiana realized. While her daughter thought they were chasing down the remaining terentatek of Malfus they had actually foiled and killed him as well and were already searching for the leviathans. She didn't believe that Malfus committed suicide…he was too narcissistic for that. And a black dragon was involved? She thought they were all dead. If they knew this much…and that Azshara was behind their schemes…how much more did they know? Already her daughter's plans were coming unraveled and she had not really started implementing them. The fact that these three were questioning her indicated they were not even aware of how close to the truth they actually were. If she told them about the Sunwell how would they react?

"What was the _something else_ they were planning?" Kitali asked. The red blade was still pointed at Raeva.

For the love of her child she would not tell them. "I do not know," Raeva lied.

"She is lying…holding back the truth to protect her daughter," Celeste stated drawing a sharp glare from the elf. "I can sense it through the Force. She won't tell us."

"I have ways to find the truth," Ysera said. "I disdain from using it…but with the fate of the world in jeopardy I must." Below them Raeva collapsed into slumber. "I will enter her dreams and discover the truth she hides from us." The dragon closed her eyes for a few moments and then reopened them. "The child seeks to taint the Sunwell. She believes that by doing so she can bring the sin'dorei to the brink of collapse and then arrive as a savior and teach them how to use the Force." She looked at the other two women. "Beyond that this one does not know…only that her daughter had broken from Azshara and there is a conflict brewing between them that frightens her. The child is in grave peril not only from her own plans but also from the wrath of the naga queen."

Kitali extinguished the blade of the lightsaber and placed it in her pouch. "And I bet Azshara knows nothing about that dead-man's switch in the daughter's chest. While I fear what would happen if the Sunwell becomes tainted again…we have to make disarming this drill our priority." She turned to Celeste. "Have you told Daneel any of this yet?"

"Something is blocking my holocommunicator from sending a signal to him. I tried it when I first heard them talking," Celeste answered. On top of all this she would also have to tell him that she had failed in detaining the elf and why…because she lost her focus and was distracted. She was not looking forward to the disappointment she knew he would feel at her failure.

Kitali turned and looked back to the room where they had first encountered the elves. She took a deep breath and turned back around and looked at Celeste. "I know I am not Daneel, but I think the best thing right now is to keep an eye on that girl. A hunch tells me she will elude the others on the upper levels. She knows this place and knows it well…that much is obvious. So we must assume she will escape. You need to get with Valithria and find this woman's daughter and track her. If Azshara comes after her you will need to protect her. Don't engage the naga queen directly. Distract her, grab the girl, and get her to safety. Until we decommission that drill she is the key to everyone's survival." She looked up at the lift. "This place just became our base of operations until this crisis is resolved. Ysera…we'll need one of the others to retrieve a friend of ours here in Northrend. I'll tell you where once we reach the upper levels."

"What about this one?" Ysera asked indicating Raeva still asleep on the ground. "Azshara will be interested in her as well."

"Not like the other I think," Kitali countered. "It was she who made the challenge to the naga queen and she who will be the focus of her wrath. This one's fear of that brewing conflict leads me to that conclusion. No…the daughter is our priority while we work here. The Sunwell…the war between the Alliance and the Horde…whatever plans Azshara has in mind…everything else can wait."

* * *

Daneel led Alexstrasza through a labyrinthine maze of tunnels in a dark cave they found near the base of the mountain and not far from where they fought the leviathans. Neither carried torches as both could see quite well in the darkness. Closer to the surface they had found a small tomb with a crude statue of a sith lord. While the presence of the sarcophagus told them a sith had once lived and was entombed here, Daneel was certain the person inside was not the source of the dark side nexus. He sensed it further and deeper in the mountain. Not far from that tomb they had reached what the dragon queen thought was a dead end, but with his Force vision common to his species Daneel found the hidden door leading to more tunnels. There were no lifts leading them downwards, instead the flooring had a gradual decline that seemed to spiral along the outer edge of the mountain. In some places natural formations acted as steps to another level below. Now after several hours they stood at the edge of a large room that had been carved from the bedrock. Daneel whistled. A few seconds later the echo returned indicating the room was massive.

"What is this place?" he wondered out loud.

"I am not sure. This appears to be the work of…dwarves. But I am not aware of them ever inhabiting this region of Kalimdor," Alexstrasza stated. "Are we any closer to the nexus you sensed?"

"No," he replied. "I sense it deeper…under us. Its presence is strong here, though." He started walking into the room with the dragon queen with him. "We are near the border of Silithus and Feralas. Strange that just south of here to the ocean the land is mostly desert, but except for the dead zone around this mountain the area here is mostly lush jungle."

"Do you think this nexus is the cause of the sudden change from jungle to desert?"

"It could be or the change could be natural. I have been to worlds that were similar and without any dark side influence," the jedi replied. "I am just noting the location. It could be the cause, but I am more inclined to think something happened here that created the nexus…and the change in the environment may be the _reason_ it occurred here."

Once they reached the far side of the room they found another tunnel leading downwards and back under the room they were just in. Like the other tunnels some steps had been carved and others were from natural formations. They continued further into the mountain and under it for four more levels…four more large empty rooms with no indication of who made them or when or for what purpose. On the fifth level they came to a room filled with machinery, but none of them were working. Scattered about the room in apparent random locations were small droids.

"Mechagnomes," Alexstrasza said when they found the first one.

But when Daneel tried to activate it there was no reaction. Lines along the body and limbs appeared to be power conduits, but whatever the source it must have run out long ago. Adjacent to this room were more filled with more machines and mechagnomes, but like the first one they found nothing that was active. At the end of the last room they stopped and looked back. There were no more hidden doors and no more access points to the area. They had explored the entire facility.

"Something is not right here," Alexstrasza said as she walked back and leaned over an inactive mechagnome. "The Titans created these beings to be immortal. They should not be…like this."

"You mean these are…or were…living beings? Living machines?"

"I mean just that," the dragon replied as she straightened up to look around the rest of the room. "For them to all be like this…it had to be something catastrophic." She looked back at the jedi. "Perhaps what happened to them is what created this Force nexus?"

"The source of the nexus is still deep beneath us," Daneel stated. "Its presence is strong here…stronger than I have ever felt in all my travels, but we are still far from the source and I would guess we are around five kilometers beneath the surface right now."

"I sense something also," Alexstrasza said after a moment's silence. "It feels like an Old God."

"What's an Old God?" the jedi asked.

"They were here before the Titans," she answered looking about the room. "They desire destruction and chaos and are elemental beings that warred with the Titans. They were defeated and imprisoned deep underground." She looked at the jedi. "We Aspects were given our powers by the Titans to protect this world and prevent the Hour of Twilight…the Old Gods plans for the ultimate destruction of this world. We ended that threat, but some of the Old Gods and their lieutenants still exist."

"Then deep beneath us could be one of those Old Gods…or the echo of one in the Force. Its influence is why everything here is dead. Like the mechagnomes down here so to is the surface…all dead."

"The echo?"

"There was a world in my home galaxy called Malachor V," Daneel began looking introspectively at the ceiling. "There is nothing left now but chunks of dead rock, rubble, and debris of broken starships. A battle was waged in space above it, and a weapon of unbelievable destructive power was used that killed thousands in the blink of an eye. The gravitic vortex created by that weapon crushed the planet and scores of ships high in orbit were brought to the surface with enough force that they were buried deep beneath the crust. All those present in both fleets that were in the proximity of the Mass Shadow Generator were instantly killed. Their pain and suffering at that last second before their lives ended can still be felt in the Force on and around the remnants of that world…an echo of the death and destruction when that weapon's power was unleashed. That happened over three hundred years ago and yet the echo exists today as if it had just happened."

"I see," Alexstrasza said. "I am more inclined to believe one still exists under us. Their deaths lead to catastrophic results. The Cataclysm was caused because of Yogg- Saron's death, I believe, and allowed Neltharion to return. It was why the Titans imprisoned them instead of killing them when the world was young." She looked back at the inactive machines. "Perhaps this place was an old Titan prison like Uldum or Ulduar. If that is the case and with these machines having stopped functioning I am greatly concerned."

"You fear it might escape?" the jedi asked looking back at the former Aspect.

Alexstrasza looked at him with a grim expression. "Or it already has," she replied.


	11. The Voice in the Darkness

**_Part Ten: The Voice in the Darkness_**

Illiana crouched in a dark corner of the sith fortress. Beyond the next room were three green dragons and a night elf. She had escaped the three women below and was certain the human was the jedi's padawan, but now these others were blocking her way and flight from this base was near impossible. Dragons. Why did it have to be dragons? And why was the padawan here? Surely the jedi and night elves didn't come here seeking her…they knew nothing about her. Were they tracking her mother? She regretted leaving the old elf behind, but her plans were not dependant on her mother's escape. Besides, she was taught the jedi did not execute their prisoners unless they were sith purebloods, and her mother was an elf not a sith. She peered from the darkness to watch one of the green dragons linger near the lifts to the base of the mountain. Its tail moved from left to right in a languid fashion like a cat. Beside it was the night elven woman. She turned to look in Illiana's direction and she ducked back just in time to avoid detection from the night elf. What were they doing here?

'Everything is in ruins,' she thought to herself. 'What am I to do now?'

She looked around trying to think of different routes out of the fortress. There were some old speeders on the next to highest level of the fortress, but she wasn't sure if the power cells were still charged nor if any of them were fast enough to outrun a dragon. She closed her eyes and calmed her breathing.

_'Nothing is in ruin,'_ a voice said in her head. _'You can still taint the Sunwell. What has happened cannot change that. They are not aware of the plan.' _

Illiana opened her eyes. It had been almost a year since she heard that voice. It was the one that set her on her path…showed her the way to power. 'The jedi is here,' she replied. 'The girl knows…and she is powerful…more powerful than I imagined.' And she wasn't lying. Had the woman not been distracted by the other's fight with her mother, Illiana was certain the human would have beaten her. All of her teaching she received from Drakus, and the power at her grasp, yet it was still not enough even against this one woman. During the conflict she tried to tap into the fear she was certain her opponent was feeling, but the woman was an emotionless void in the Force. While the padawn didn't tire she felt weakened. Drakus had taught her to harness other's fears and anger during battle to embolden her connection to the dark side. He said that it was the way of all sith. But the woman was like a machine when they fought with no feelings whatsoever. The padawan's master would be even more powerful and even more detached from his emotions. No wonder the sith feared his kind.

_'You are a dark lord…nothing can stop you. The girl is weak and so is her master.' _

The voice was almost oppressive as it always had been. It first spoke to her during one of her training exercises fifteen years before. At first she thought it was only her own mind playing tricks on her…the dark struggling with the light. At the time she was curious about her birthmother wondering where she was, what she was doing, and why she had left her all alone with the old crone. What circumstance or demands of her father had driven her to leave Illiana behind? And did her mother miss her as much as she missed her. She yearned to meet her and wanted that familial bond that Drakus never shared with her. Despite what the old sith desired, Illiana loved her mother. The taint of the light side of the Force dwelled within her soul. But the voice changed all of that. It was not Drakus or Narcis or Azshara…it was something else. It was powerful…more powerful than anything Illiana imagined possible. It told her things and showed her things that Drakus would not teach her…or could not teach her. Since that time until little over a year ago…when she began her search for Raeva…it had been there always in her thoughts. But once she started looking for her mother it simply stopped.

_'With the drill pointed at the center of the world they dare not touch you. Because of that you are invincible,'_ the voice continued. _'That is true power.'_

It was true that the voice was the reason she had the device implanted in her chest. She never would have thought of using the old drill as leverage until it suggested the failsafe. When she told Drakus the old sith froze in fear of her. She smiled as she struck him down in his old chair…that pompous windbag. She remembered standing over his corpse knowing that he would never torture her again. He could have wielded her power if he had conceived such a plan…never would have to fear the jedi. She opened her eyes in the darkness and peered at the dragon and night elf again. They had no clue she was there.

'Can a speeder outrun a dragon?' she asked. For a moment there was no response. 'I cannot taint the Sunwell if they bar my escape.'

_'The dragons are no concern,'_ it finally answered. _'The mechanical device will suffice in your escape.'_ Illiana started to move then stopped. _'Why do you wait? You must flee!'_

Illiana shook her head. 'I can't just leave mother behind. I waited so long to find her.' Perhaps it was a weakness, and perhaps it was part of that familial bonding she longed for in her youth, but she couldn't just leave her behind as the jedi's prisoner. Would they torture her mother as Drakus tortured her?

_'She is dead,'_ the voice answered.

The elf's eyes widened in fear and panic. 'No!' she screamed in her mind. Not her mother! Not after all this time and they finally were reunited. She wanted Raeva with her when she became queen of the world. She. Could. Not. Be. Dead.

_'They killed her while you fled,'_ it stated.

'I should have stayed behind…protected her…' she thought as she sat back down. But if she had then she would be dead as well…that was if the voice was telling her the truth. How could things have turned out so wrong?

_'Your mother is lost. You can continue with the plan and gain your throne,'_ it hesitated as if processing thoughts, _'but first avenge her murder. Go back and kill those who have taken her from you. Make those responsible pay with their lives,'_ it insisted. Its oppressiveness increased and Illiana held her hands tight against her temples. Her face grimaced as the voice's pressure turned to pain. _'You cannot fail…must not fail…avenge her murder…make them pay…you have all the power and more…more than anyone ever possibly imagined.' _Had it…had it changed its mind?

'How?' she asked

_'Let the anger of her death fuel your rage. Let that rage embrace you and the full power of the dark side will be yours. No longer hold back…she is gone and so to with her is any reason to not give in to your hatred. The sith along with the elves held you apart…the jedi hunted her…and with the dragons killed her…unleash your fury upon them…give in to your hatred…revel in it…and make them all suffer.'_

Illiana dropped her hands and held her eyes closed. She imagined the excitement when she first found her mother a year ago. Even if she did not already know her name they looked so much alike she knew she had found her mother. Her heart raced at that first sighting…the almost impossible dream realized. She almost ran to Raeva's side at that very first sighting as she felt a void in her heart filled with joy…a strange and wondrous feeling…her mother…

_'She is dead.'_

The trip across Northrend from Valiance Keep to the shore and then back to this place. She almost forgot what it was like to hate everything. Her mother loved her. Had told her she loved her. And for a brief and shining moment down in the deep Illiana almost gave up on her desire for world dominance…her mother…

_'She is dead.'_

They could have just escaped to somewhere…anywhere…even stayed here. It was unknown to the world…lost and forgotten. The sith were gone and Azshara knew nothing of this old fortress. They could have lived as mother and daughter, as a family …her mother…

_'She is dead.'_

The women were standing in the room…three of them. One was running at her with an ignited lightsaber…the padawan. They were ruining everything and she was split apart from her mother. She clashed with the human…dueled with her…felt her power…and the others…her mother…

_'She is dead.'_

As she fled from the draenei she saw her mother running after her. The draenei…tripped her…and she fell…the draenei woman had…her mother…

_'She is dead!'_

"NOOOOOOOO!" Illiana screamed in excruciating pain and aguish.

The dragon and night elf turned to look at her corner. She opened herself to the dark side. Its power coursed through her like never before. They would suffer…they would pay for murdering her mother…all of them….she would make them feel her pain a thousand-fold…and she raised her arms. Purple lighting danced along her fingers as she stepped into their view. The door to the lift was open, and upon seeing Illiana emerge from her dark corner the green dragon knocked the night elf into the lift with a sweep of her tail. The door closed as Illiana unleashed the most powerful barrage of Force lightning that she had ever attempted. The lightning engulfed the dragon and it writhed in agony as Illiana tapped deeper into the dark side. The lightning continued in waves. The scales of the dragon darkened as the power in the elf's attack increased.

_'That's it!'_ the voice cried out in her mind. _'More!'_

She stopped her attack as the dragon collapsed unconscious to the floor and ran to a staircase that would take her to the upper levels. Shouts erupted behind her, but she did not care. The other dragons were alerted to her presence. One level after another she climbed…the Force enhancing her speed. In less than a minute she was at the twelfth level…the one with the speeder hanger. Reaching out she smashed the door to kindling with the Force. Her eyes widened at the sheer pleasure she felt wielding so much power. It was almost orgasmic. The dragon below had been no match for her. It did not even have a chance to counterattack. She ran to one of the three speeders and stopped. With this much power why was she fleeing? She could easily seek her vengeance on the padawan and the draenei, but more importantly she could enact her plan now…taint the Sunwell…and then return with a sin'dorei army at her command. She could teach them all to wield the kind of power she was now feeling. Nothing could stop her then and the world would bow before her.

_'No,'_ the voice said. _'Not yet. You must go back…avenge your mother's death…then escape for the Sunwell. Now is not the time.'_

"Why not?" she asked. The dark side was fueling her anger…her hatred. She was much more powerful now that she had fully embraced the dark side. Then she remembered the fight with the girl. Remembered the untapped power that apprentice held and it matched her own even now as she was fully engulfed with the dark side. An army at her command….that was what she needed first. The human and her master would be experts at fighting with a lightsaber. Their attunement to the Force was greater than that of the dragon below and she would be no match if she faced either of them alone. She needed her army to fight them. An army of sin'dorei wielding the Force would sweep the jedi aside like leaves in the wind.

_'First vengeance,' _the voice repeated. _'Vengeance for her death at their hands.'_

"I will have my queendom and my army before all else," she replied as she hopped into one of the speeders and activated the controls. Was it not paying attention? Had it forgotten her priorities? Was it not aware of the dangers the jedi posed if faced singularly? She was powerful but she was not stupid nor did she have a death wish. "Then I will make them all suffer! The jedi and his padawan…the dragons…and that draenei…they will all suffer!" The voice growled in anger and then was silent. Illiana smiled as she maneuvered the speeder from the hanger. For too long had she listened to others, and when she found her mother her life felt like it was hers again. Now that her mother was gone didn't mean she needed to start listening to them all over again. She would do what she wanted, but first….more power…and for that she needed the sin'dorei.

* * *

Daneel and Alexstrasza crossed the dead zone in silence. What they had discovered raised more questions than answers. While they were not clear if an Old God still inhabited the region below the mountain base they were certain one had been there and was the source of the dark side nexus. That enormous amount of dark side energy allowed Thera'gon and Malfus plus a third suspected unknown person to create the terentateks and leviathans at this location. The rituals used to create the monstrosities were certainly what also created the dead zone on the surface, but what killed the mechagnomes inside the Titan facility was still a mystery. Force rituals would not kill mechanicals on that scale unless it was similar to the one used by Lord Vitiate on Nathema and Daneel was certain none of the sith that came to Azeroth were even remotely aware of that particular ritual. The state of the mechagnomes was the reason Alexstrasza suspected an Old God still existed deep below them.

As the two approached the camp where the rest were waiting they were greeted with a pleasant surprise. Kuro and Tariolstrasz were sitting together off to one side holding hands and whispering to each other. The other two dragons gave coy grins to their queen when she arrived with the jedi, and Alexstrasza smiled warmly at the two dragons acting like shy adolescents in love…or at least that was how Daneel perceived them. A smile crossed his face until he saw Demira. She was pacing on the opposite side of the camp with one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead. Cielstrasza cleared her throat once the jedi and former Aspect entered the camp, and Demira immediately ran to her husband. The shy couple simply looked up at the activity, and all smiles waned as Demira stopped in front of Daneel.

"We received a communication from Kitali," she blurted as she looked at her husband. "They found something very disturbing in Northrend." She reached out and clasped his hands. "They found an old fortress high in the mountains and in that place was an old corpse of a sith."

"So there was another base we did not know of," Daneel replied deciding to wait until his wife was finished before sharing what he and Alexstrasza had discovered. "But I doubt a lone sith was the source of the dark side nexus."

Demira shook her head. "It wasn't, but what was under the fortress was," she said. The other dragons, Kuro and Tariolstrasz included, all lined up in a semi-circle behind the mage. "Under that fortress they found an old Titan facility that the sith had found and activated with additions of their own technology to augment it. Celeste also sensed the echo of an Old God." The dragon queen and Daneel looked at each other then back at Demira. "What?"

"You said this one was active?" her husband asked. "Because we found under this mountain an inactive Titan facility." The dragons gasped behind the mage.

"It was…with droids and mechagnomes working the machinery," Demira answered. "But Kitali also said they found two elven women. One was working with Thera'gon and Malfus, but had recently broken from them to find the other elf who was her daughter." She stepped closer to the jedi while sadness etched her face. "They were a diversion so that Azshara and the daughter could taint the Sunwell. Daneel…they were going to hurt my people."

"They also found what the draenei said was a massive drill positioned over a deep bottomless pit and pointed to the center of the world," Cielstrasza added. "And that the daughter has what Kitali called a dead-man's switch that would activate the drill if she died. Something about firing into the core of the planet. She along with your apprentice and Ysera were very concerned with that last part, but we are not certain as to the basis of their concern."

Daneel looked at the dragons and then back at Demira. "Where are the elven women now?" he asked.

"They have the mother in custody but the daughter eluded them. She severely wounded Risera in her escape. Ysera and Kitali are tending to Risera's wounds, and Celeste and Valithria are trying to track the daughter now, but so far have not reported back that they have found her. Kitali thought she should be our main focus," Kandrostrasz replied.

"She is," Daneel agreed without looking from his wife. The worried expression still marred her angelic face. "Kitali made the right decision in following the girl. We must protect her from any harm."

"Can you explain to me why, Daneel?" Alexstrasza asked as she walked over to stand with her dragonflight. "What is so important about the girl?"

"That drill pointed towards the center of the planet," Daneel said. "If she has a dead-man's switch can only mean that it will fire into the planet's crust when her heart stops beating. While she may think that it would reach the planet's core and would destroy its magnetic field there is no known evidence that such a firing of a drill of that size and location on the surface of a planet would do that. There may be fluctuations in the magnetic field generated by the core if it indeed reached the deep, but nothing that would realistically change what already naturally occurs. I am more inclined to believe that the location…being along a mountain range…indicates that it is placed at or near a fault line and that firing the drill could trigger a massive shift of tectonic plates thus generating earthquakes and tidal waves and a possibility those events could be planet-wide. The devastation could be on the same scale as the Cataclysm or worse depending on the size of that fault line and how many others it would affect. Many lives could be lost and others forever changed should that drill fire." The dragon queen's eyes widened. "To avoid that level of catastrophe we have to make certain we keep the girl safe and alive."

"What you say makes sense to me," Kuro stated. "If such events would occur as the girl imagines should the core be damaged Deathwing would have done that long ago. Damage to the fault lines seems more the danger as you describe. Another Cataclysm is something which this world is not in any condition to face again or this soon."

"Kitali also sent Vethsera to Windi's compound and to bring her back to disarm or dismantle the drill if possible," Demira said quietly. "Daneel…I have to go to Silvermoon. I have to alert my people of the danger. If the girl is loose then she is a threat to the sin'dorei and the Sunwell." He nodded to her and pulled her hands to his chest drawing her closer to him.

"That daughter is our priority," Cielstrasza said behind the mage. "If what you and Kuro say is correct then she most likely has gone into hiding. She is alone now that we have her mother and I highly doubt that she has a death wish. Your friend said that she had a brewing conflict with Azshara…according to the mother…and that she was in danger now not only from us but the naga queen as well who probably is not privy to the information of the drill or the dead-man's switch attached to the daughter's heart. She has too many enemies. We must find the girl while your gnome friend works on this drill." She looked at her queen. "While I lament what might happen to the blood elves…tainting the Sunwell is insignificant compared to the danger this sith device poses to Azeroth and all of its people."

Daneel kept looking at his wife. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked into his face. "The rest of you can head to Northrend and assist in what is needed there. Kitali is a most capable leader and you can trust her to make the right decisions. I think she has done just that so far."

"And what about you?" Kuro asked. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Daneel shook his head. "I will go with Demira and warn the sin'dorei of the danger to the Sunwell."

"That's absurd!" Cielstrasza exclaimed. She turned to Alexstrasza. "We need to be united in this and find the girl and destroy the drill before something happens to her and it fires!" She looked back at the jedi holding his wife's hands. "We need you with us."

"You do not need me there," he replied.

Alexstrasza looked at the couple. "Are you certain? I have come to trust your judgment, but in this one instance I must agree with Cielstrasza….we need you with us. We do not know sith technology like you do and I am convinced this drill is of their design."

"Windi is more than capable of dealing with the drill," the jedi replied. "Plus I believe the girl will not go into hiding as you think." Cielstrasza and Kandrostrasz glowered at the jedi, but he looked at their queen. "If she has broken from Azshara as we have been told then hiding will make no difference. She will proceed with her plans…most likely expedite them…because she has nothing left to hold her back. She will be desperate and with nothing to lose she will go to the Sunwell. If she dies then what will she care if the world dies with her? But that is not the only reason I go." He looked back at Demira. "I will go with my wife and stand by her side and support her as she warns her people." She smiled at him as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Very well," Alexstrasza stated. She looked at her dragons. "Kandrostrasz…you will go warn the bronze flight about this place. There may be an Old God under here but we are not certain. It is, or was, definitely the source of the dark side nexus Daneel sensed. Warn them of the potential danger and to watch this area closely in case there is still an Old God present." Another round of gasps came from the dragons, but their queen continued. "Cielstrasza…I want you to leave immediately for Darnassus and warn them of what we have learned…all of it. If Azshara was the mastermind behind everything then once she learns of the failures of her diversion she may or may not act…soon. Better to let them know so they may prepare no matter what happens. Kuro and Tariolstrasz…you two will go to Northrend and assist our friends there. I especially want you there, Kuro, as you are a black dragon and the one amongst us most familiar with the earthen elements and what this drill might do to Azeroth." Kuro nodded in agreement as the others bowed their heads to their queen. "My instincts tell me the Old Gods…or at least one of them…is behind all of this. Firing that drill could be the catalyst that frees them from their prison."

"And you?" Cielstrasza asked. "Where will you go, my queen?"

"I will join Demira and Daneel to warn the blood elves." The couple looked at her. "With luck the jedi is right and we may secure and protect the girl there. Since the Sunwell is a central part of her plans then I agree with Daneel…she will go there and soon."

* * *

It took less than a day for Vethsera to retrieve Windi Weathergear from her Northrend compound and bring her to the old Titan complex in the mountains. When the dragon landed Kitali was waiting for them. She greeted her friend with a smile and together they walked the long distance…for a gnome…through the fortress to the lifts that would take them to the lower levels where the machinery, droids, and mechagnomes performed their tasks. During that small journey the draenei explained everything to Windi. The gnome was more excited than scared when they walked off the lift. Her eyes were wide as she watched the various mechagnomes and droids scurry from machine to machine each busy in its assigned task…whatever that task might be. If only the other gnomes could see this place they would be extremely jealous of her. Once she was shown the drill, Windi set to work immediately. Vethsera tried to convince the gnome to rest but Kitali knew better and only laughed as the gnome, with her bright blonde hair and ruddy face, disappeared into an access hatch along the arm leading from the main machinery room to the drill. Kitali took a short nap while the dragon paced for several hours before the gnome finally reemerged from the drill arm. Vethsera shook the draenei's shoulder waking her. She rubbed her eyes as Windi walked from the drill to where the two of them waited.

"Can you do it?" Kitali yawned.

"Will take about four days," Windi replied with a smile. "But that starts after you get Brann Bronzebeard here."

"What? Why?" Kitali asked suddenly awake.

"I need him to translate the Titan writing," Windi replied with a shrug. "I can't read it so I might accidently fire it by hitting the wrong switches. I need him or someone else well versed in Titan writing to know what to touch and what to leave alone. Once he's here it will take maybe four days to get this drill offline."

"I thought this thing was sith," the dragon said looking from Windi to Kitali. "Isn't it?"

"Nope," the gnome said turning around and walking back to the access hatch. "Not a single part of it is sith in design. It's all Titan."

"What about the mechagnomes?" Kitali called out as the gnome stepped back into the arm of the drill. "Can't they translate it?"

"There's something wrong with them…couldn't you tell?" she stated turning around in the hatch entrance. "They aren't acting normally. Nope…I need Brann Bronzebeard. He's the foremost Titan expert and his knowledge from his archeological digs and findings is exactly what I need." And with that she disappeared into the machinery.

Kitali looked at Vethsera. "How are we supposed to get him here?"

Vethsera only shrugged her shoulders. "And the mechagnomes aren't acting normally?" she queried watching the diminutive mechanical beings work on the machines. "What _is_ normal?"

* * *

Adaria sat up in her bed. Since leaving Astranaar until their arrival at this strange fortress in the mountains of Northrend the nightmares had lessened. Perhaps it was the presence of the green dragons with them, but she didn't always see the face of the blood elf named Thera'gon haunting her at every turn…until now. The others were not aware of his hold on her psyche and she hid her fear well, but in her dreams he was there. The lightning was in her dreams as well. Sometimes she saw the furbolgs dying…sometimes it was Aeyrn…and sometimes she felt them burn her own body. But today…the nightmare was different. This time she saw the dragon Risera burned by lighting coming from another elf. Not Thera'gon, but a woman. And she had the same red eyes…eyes filled with hatred and anger. Thera'gon next to this woman was as a child as he never had the power to slay a dragon as she almost did. And it was those same eyes that haunted her again. The woman…it was her now that killed the furbolgs in her dreams….tortured Aeyrn as he lay bleeding from his wounds…it was this woman who was burning the dragon's scales and flesh…and it was this woman who was determined to unleash her fury on Adaria. Why? They had never met before that day, but she was certain the woman had meant to kill her.

Beads of sweat poured down her body as she stood and walked naked across the room. It was one of the rooms aligned in concentric circles around the chamber where they had discovered the remains of the being called a sith. The metal flooring was cold under her feet. There was nothing natural here. The walls were made of either metal or something called plasteel, the light came from artificial devices she couldn't even start to comprehend, and the air was stale as it was recycled by machines several levels below. Nowhere could she see natural light or the stars and moon unless she actually left the base. The draenei, Kitali, suggested that only the dragons leave the base during the current crisis, and she meant well, but the lack of the outdoors plagued Adaria. It had been only two days, but for a druid those two days felt like an eternity. She walked to an adjacent smaller room called a refresher. In it was a sink along one wall and a mirror above it. Beside it was a commode and across from them was a standing bathing device called a shower. The shower and sink used running water, but where that water came from she also did not know. Controls on each adjusted the water's temperature which also was very unnatural. She manipulated the one for cold water at the sink and put her hands under the running water. She closed her eyes and splashed some on her face as she tried to calm her breathing. She opened her eyes to look into the mirror, and standing behind her was the raven haired elf…her red eyes staring at her. Adaria spun on her heel as she lowered into a battle ready position, but the woman was no longer there. No footprints could be seen on the polished metal floor and the only sound in the two rooms was the running water from the faucet. Adaria slowly relaxed as she straightened and closed her eyes again.

"It's all in my head," she said aloud. She turned back to look into the mirror. Instead of her face she saw that of the other woman staring at her with those red eyes. "You are not real," she said defiantly.

_'But I am real,_' the woman replied. Adaria looked behind her, but nothing was there. She looked back at the woman staring at her from the mirror. _'I am as real as you want me to be.'_

Adaria's breathing quickened as fear gripped her. "What do you want? Why won't you leave me alone?"

_'What do I want?'_ the woman replied with a sneer. _'I want you to die!'_

She reached through the mirror and lightning sprouted from her fingertips engulfing Adaria. The druid screamed in agony as her flesh was burning off her body. She couldn't make it stop and the woman in the mirror laughed as she inflicted more pain and agony upon the night elf.

_'After I am finished with you I will make the world burn!' _

Adaria screamed as she sat up in her bed. The sheets collected around her waist as she gripped her nightshirt with her right hand just above her heart. Sweat soaked her clothing as well as the sheets. Despite the cold weather…the room she occupied was on the highest level of the fortress with full access to the outside elements…Adaria was flushed and her skin was on fire as if she had a fever. Kitali said this was once possibly a guard tower when the fortress was in use, and being that Adaria was a druid she might want to be close to nature or at least as close as they could in this place. Adaria appreciated the sentiment and gladly accepted the room as a place to sleep while they guarded this place and tried to divert disaster, but as the sunlight shone through the windows she wished she was back in Astranaar with her brother.

_'She will not stop until the world is hers. She will kill all the kaldorei as she seeks world domination.'_

Adaria's eyes widened as she scanned the room. "Who is that?"

_'She will destroy all that is natural and good in this world. She cares nothing for the natural order of things.'_

"Who are you?" she asked. There was no one around. Kitali and the gnome were deep below where the machines were. The dragons were elsewhere…she was alone.

_'It is up to you to stop her or the world will burn in her path.'_

Adaria stood from her bed and ran to the door leading outside. As she walked through the doorway she shielded her eyes from the sunlight, but there was nothing on this level with her. Nothing at all that could be the source of the voice. "Who are you!" she screamed, but the voice did not answer. She went back into the room and paced as images of her nightmare plagued her mind along with the voice's premonition. Then she saw it…Darnassus on fire…Astranaar on fire… burning corpses littered the ground everywhere she looked…the fire was everywhere…burning all that was natural and good…and then she saw the furbolgs on fire as they were engulfed in bands of purple lighting…and then it was Aeyrn screaming in agony as the lightning coursed along his body…it shot out of his mouth and his eyes….and behind it all was that raven haired elf with red eyes…laughing. Adaria's jaw set. She knew what she had to do. She got dressed and left the room to find the person she needed to help her find and stop the evil elf bent on nature's destruction. Bent on killing her brother. Behind her the voice continued laughing.


	12. All Eyes on the Sunwell

**_Part Eleven: All Eyes on the Sunwell_**

Metal clashed on metal as the sharp blades shined in the midday sun. Sparks ignited as the swords slid along each other before disengaging. Zharn gave his opponent a tusky grin as he backed up a step. His breathing was calm and so was that of the night elf facing him. Her blade was long and slender with a slight curve and only one sharp edge. In contrast the orc's was double-edged and straight. Around the two combatants were other kaldorei sentinels watching the two in their dance. Some cheered for their fellow kaldorei, but a few cheered for the orc. During his stay in Darnassus he had garnered a favorable reputation amongst the night elves which was highly uncommon for orcs in this region of Kalimdor. Zharn's chest was bare highlighting his musculature while the woman facing him wore a tight top that clung to her skin. With two hands she raised her hilt even with her forehead and the blade straight in the air. To counter Zharn held his with a reverse grip in his right hand which was crossed before his chest and the flat side of the blade hovering just below the length of his arm. The pommel of his sword cradled in the palm of his left hand.

"He fights with a most unusual style," one of the spectators commented.

The orc led to his left with his right foot. A feral smile crossed the lips of the opposing sentinel. Seeing an opening she thrust her blade down at the orc anticipating him to continue moving to his left, but as she moved he squatted and spun back and to his right. As he did this his sword inched away from his arm and whistled in the air like a scythe as he continued spinning towards the sentinel's legs. Taken by surprise she leapt over the blade to land two steps back from where she had just faced off with the orc. She held her sword angled before her pointed at Zharn who stood up mid-spin and faced her holding his sword to match hers. Gasps came from the spectators as the opponents finished this latest movement in a match that had already lasted for almost an hour. Neither the sentinel nor the orc showed signs of fatigue, but all present knew that appearances could be deceiving. The sentinel looked the orc up and down and then smiled again. His tusky grin widened in return. A commotion to their right drew their attention as the spectators parted allowing Tyrande Whisperwind to glide towards them. The two combatants lowered their weapons and bowed to the priestess.

"That is most impressive, Zharn," Tyrande said as she walked towards them. "And a most unusual style. I can't say that I have ever seen it before. What is it called, if I may ask?"

"It is a form called Ataru," Zharn answered looking back at the high priestess. "In my years knowing Daneel he has been able to instruct me in a couple of forms. The other is called Soresu which I was also employing during our sparring session." He looked over to his opponent and smiled. "Thank you…and sorry about the cuts."

She nodded in return as she looked at one of two cuts on her left shoulder. They were the only injuries she suffered during her bout with Zharn. "They are superficial and will heal. It was a pleasure." The orc didn't have a single cut on his body. It was not a mark of his ability to block her attacks as more a testament to her remarkable precision as a swordmaster to avoid any injury to the orc while sparring.

Zharn looked back at Tyrande. "I do admit I am quite a bit out of practice…for reasons you are most definitely aware. It felt good being able to move like my old self."

"These are jedi techniques?" Tyrande asked him.

"Somewhat," he answered with a shy grin while he ran his right hand along his bald head. "I can't use the Force like he does so what I can do is a more muted form than he employs. The Ataru is a more aggressive form while the Soresu is defensive. Just before I was injured he was beginning to teach me another called Shien which he felt might suit my size and stature better. Shien utilizes power and strength. All are lightsaber forms best used by the jedi and their abilities with the Force, so the best I can do is mimic the physical movements. Daneel is much more impressive, I assure you."

"You are quite effective with the ones you use now even if they are _muted_," the sentinel mentioned. "It was all I could do to keep up with you. You move with the grace of a cat despite your size and frame. I have to admit I was caught off-guard several times as you performed moves I did not think you capable of." She leaned over and whispered to him, "Do you think he could teach me some of those moves?"

"I can ask him for you," he whispered back with a smile.

Tyrande smiled widely. "I actually came to find you, Zharn. That…device…was making a noise a few minutes ago." Zharn nodded and snatched a towel that was thrown by one of the sentinels watching the sparring match. He smiled thankfully at the woman and looked back at the priestess. "I think we should go somewhere more private so that you can...um…fix it."

She led the orc from the courtyard where the sentinels fell back into formation around their leader. She was also wiping the sweat from her face with a towel. Two more sentinels replaced her and Zharn at the center beginning another sparring match for the others to watch.

Once they were out of earshot the orc looked over to the priestess. "Thank you for the discretion regarding the communicator," he stated.

"Of course. While they know you are here to help us and a friend to the kaldorei, I feel it necessary to not reveal all of the little secrets in your possession." Then she whispered, "Plus I hit the contact accidentally and it was your wife looking for you."

Zharn chuckled. "She's just making her daily report I imagine. Nothing to worry about."

"But I can see where such a device would be quite tempting. There were times I would have loved such a device to talk to Malfurion during the Cataclysm. I envy you and your wife having such a convenience that others do not have…to be able to talk to the one you love even when they are far away from you."

"It doesn't make the separation any easier, I assure you," he replied. "Some days it's worse because I can talk to her but I still cannot hold her in my arms. My heart aches deeply when I talk to her on that thing." She nodded her understanding as they walked towards the Temple of Elune. "It can be a blessing and a curse depending on the relationship you have with the person talking on the other end."

They walked the rest of the way in silence past several priests and priestesses and some sentinels. Once in the room Zharn had been staying in he walked over to where the holocommunicator rested on the table. Tyrande stayed back by the room's entrance giving the orc and his wife some semblance of privacy. Wiping his face again with the towel in his free hand he activated the device with his thumb. Kitali's three dimensional image appeared above the communicator, and the orc's heart skipped a beat. She was wearing the same outfit she wore when Selene attacked their ship from Booty Bay to Northrend over a year ago. The top wrapped from around her neck and over her breasts to gather at her back. She was even wearing the same sarong she wore that day. Zharn swallowed hard….damn she was beautiful.

"Hi, hon," she said with a smile. "I see Tyrande found you?"

"She did," Zharn replied. "What's wrong, Kit? And what do you need me to do?"

Her mouth opened in shock. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you only wear that outfit when we are alone or when you want me to do something I may not want to…and you know what my reaction will be seeing you in that dress…you know I can't say no."

"I'm…hurt…sweetie," she said mockingly bringing her hand to her chest. She may have tugged down on the clothing a little.

"And I'm hard as a rock," he answered bluntly. Both the image of Kitali and Tyrande giggled. "Just tell me what you want…and when we see each other again we are going to make use of that outfit's affects…nonstop…for a week!"

"Deal!" Kitali giggled. She then told her husband all they had discovered as well as the news Demira relayed before she departed Silithus for Silvermoon with Daneel and Alexstrasza. When she finished she tilted her hips and tugged at her top again. "Now the tough part, honey. We need you to find Brann Bronzebeard."

"How am I supposed to do that? Nobody knows where he is. Plus…the Explorer's League isn't exactly on friendly terms with orcs."

"Well, you'll just have to think of something. Windi said the device is Titan and she can't read the language on the controls. She needs Bronzebeard to translate for her." The image of Kitali put her hands on her hips. "Everything hinges on shutting down this drill."

"What about that kid in Shattrath? Grogg? Remember he said that he was stuck in that one Titan facility for several months and that he learned the language so he could find out how to leave the place. Why not get him to translate for Windi?"

"I forgot all about that," Kitali replied. "Yes…go get him and bring him here, but hurry. The longer we delay the more chances there are that that girl will get hurt or killed."

"I'll get him," Zharn said. "And our deal is still on. Tyrande is my witness…one week alone…just the two of us…with nothing to do but fuck ourselves senseless."

"I'm looking forward to it," she giggled and blew a kiss at him. "See ya soon, hon."

"See ya soon," he answered as the image dissipated. He then looked over at the priestess still standing by the doorway and smiling. "Well…I gotta go!"

* * *

Demira stood outside the office of Lor'themar Theron with Daneel and Alexstrasza. If anyone amongst the sin'dorei had authority over the Sunwell it was this man who was the acting ruler of the blood elves. Demira paced as the other two sat in chairs. It had already been an hour since they were told to await the regent and yet nothing…no indication of when he would see him. The mage was growing worried that he was delaying on purpose for a reason she hated to think the cause…that he might no longer saw her as a sin'dorei. She could hardly blame him. Since joining the Horde she had fewer elven friends than from other races. In fact her closest friends were a draenei and an orc. She was married to a man totally alien to Azeroth, and to make things worse had turned her back on the Sunwell entirely while fully embracing the Force. She no longer suffered from the arcane withdrawal or the addiction other blood elves and high elves were afflicted by. The healing aspects of the Force had cured her. However, the Force was also something totally alien to the elves that they neither knew existed or wanted to understand, and they would not accept it as an alternative or cure for their malady. Because of all of this the regent just might not listen to her…and this worried her because _she_ felt that the blood elves and high elves were her people. Finally a ranger approached and she ceased her pacing.

"The Lord Regent will speak with the mage, Demira, alone," he said dispassionately. "You two can remain here for the time being."

"Their input is quite valuable," Demira countered. "Why won't he speak with them?"

"He did not say," came the reply. "You may enter and speak with him now…alone."

Demira looked back at Daneel, and he simply nodded and smiled. She took a deep breath and walked the short distance to the door. Her hands were clammy. When she entered the office the door closed behind her. Lor'themar sat at a large desk with papers strewn across the top. He did not look up from some of the papers or smile at Demira making her more nervous about meeting the man alone. With a slight movement of his hand he indicated she sit in a chair across the desk from him. Demira squared her shoulders as she took another deep breath and sat as he indicated.

"I am told you come bearing news of a threat against the Sunwell," he said still not looking up at her. "Would you mind elaborating on the specifics of this threat?"

Demira cleared her throat. "We have reason to believe a woman intends to taint the Sunwell…"

"And just how does this woman plan to do that?" Lor'themar asked interrupting her. "I am sure you are aware we have it significantly guarded to prevent just such a thing ever happening again."

"I understand that," she replied. "But still even as guarded as it is this woman can achieve what she wants to accomplish…she is that powerful. And she looks like one of us."

"Truly?" he asked finally looking up at her. "Is she another of you that uses this mysterious power that no other knows or utilizes?" She nodded to him. "Then I shall be blunt. For the past few years you have turned your back on us. There are so few of us left and yet you marry this…this alien from another world. It diminishes us, Demira. Then I learn you have spent some time recently with the kaldorei. I find it curious that you would stoop to aid them and that they would accept your aid. Have you forgotten what they did to our people and how they still treat us? And now you arrive unannounced with this supposed threat to us. How am I to know this is a real threat and not just one created by the kaldorei to distract us? How do I know that you come here out of sincerity and not as their agent? Honestly…I do not trust you, Demira. Nor do I believe that any one person can threaten the Sunwell now that we have taken precautions to prevent…"

"Then you are as naïve as you are blind," she blurted and immediately regretted her remark but it was out there now. His statements about her were painful to hear. She had expected it, but to hear the vehemence in his voice struck her to her soul. It hurt and made her angry. "Whether or not you believe in such a power it does exist. My husband wields it…"

"A spouse who is not a sin'dorei," he stated calmly…almost mockingly.

"My husband wields it," she repeated standing. "And with him sitting out in your lobby is the Life Binder who also wields it. And both can attest to the veracity of what I am telling you. This woman almost killed a dragon during her escape from us in Northrend! She is coming here and she is a threat!" He continued looking at her without any emotion on his face. She glowered at him before sitting back in her chair. "Perhaps it was a mistake in coming here. I thought you would be interested in any threat against our people."

Lor'themar looked at her and moved a couple of the papers to the side clearing the desktop directly in front of him. The fingers of his right hand drummed the wood. They looked at each other in silence for a minute before the drumming stopped and he raised his hand to massage his chin as he continued to stare at her. Finally he breathed deeply through his nose. "I will allow the three of you to visit the Sunwell and see for yourselves how protected it is," he finally said. "Perhaps then you will understand that no single individual is a threat…not even one powerful enough to slay…"

The regent was interrupted when a ranger burst through the door. He was breathing heavily and appeared visibly shaken. "Lord Lor'themar, an attack is underway at the Sunwell."

"By who and how many?" he asked while looking at Demira. She wore a worried expression.

"A single woman," the ranger answered. "She is using a source of power we are totally unfamiliar with and a weapon we cannot defend against. It looks like a sword with a red blade and it cuts through armor as if it were cloth. None of our magics work against her, she knocks our arrows from the sky with ease just by the swing of her blade, and she has slain many rangers already. So far she has not reached the Sunwell itself, but unless she tires soon we cannot stop her."

Demira did not wait for a response from Lor'themar. She stood and ran from her chair to the lobby only to discover Daneel was not there. Alexstrasza looked at her and waved her hand. The two women left the lobby as the regent shouted at their backs. Outside the building the dragon queen transformed causing many sin'dorei around her to scamper for cover. Demira jumped on her back once the transformation was complete. She looked down and back to see Lor'themar emerge from the building.

"Daneel has already left to face the woman," she shouted at him as Alexstrasza prepared to take flight. "We are leaving to join him. You should have acted sooner, Lord Regent."

"Hopefully by the time I arrive your mate will have defeated her," he replied as rangers scurried around him preparing to leave for the Sunwell. "It seems I may have misjudged you."

"We'll talk about that once this is all over," she said as the dragon lifted from the ground.

* * *

Illiana growled as another wave of rocks and boulders were heaved in her direction. Approaching the Sunwell was more bothersome than she imagined. The first couple of mages she snuck up on and dispatched easily, but these others now attacking her were seemingly immune to her Force lightning attacks. With a wave of her hand she knocked the rocks and boulders to the side. More than a dozen rangers laid dead at her feet each one having fallen to her lightsaber. It only had one blade, but against the primitive weapons the rangers used the single blade was more than efficient. It sliced through their swords and armoring like a hot knife through butter. She knocked arrows out of the air easily as the Force enhanced her abilities to see them almost in slow motion. With each step she was closer to the Sunwell…and with each step she was that much closer to her goal. Another volley of arrows flew at her, and again she deflected or destroyed those that came close to her. With a another wave of her hand several of the boulders lifted from the ground and hurled back at the mages causing them to scatter like ants.

Taking a brief second she looked at the ring on her finger that made her smile. Just before she killed Drakus he had brought her to Azshara. The naga queen transformed from her monstrous form to that of a night elf as they met on the same shores she had slaughtered naga as a message just days ago. Illiana remembered she could not imagine either form being the same one she had been told drove men and woman insane with lust. The woman was ugly in her opinion, but she had also never seen a night elf let alone a woman of that race. The old sith even seemed enamored with her. The queen droned on about her plans for her return to power and Illiana's role in those plans. Drakus made bold claims that nothing could stop them from total victory. She could barely stay awake…she really didn't care what either of them desired. It wasn't until Azshara produced the ring that Illiana grew interested. The Sunwell was created with a vial taken from the Well of Eternity. Now the interesting thing was that it was an enormous fount of arcane energy, but like everything else it had an opposite. For every positive there is a negative, every action an equal and opposite reaction. Illiana understood this as it was a basic rule of physics that Drakus drilled into her as a child. The ring contained a drop…only a drop…of what the queen said was anti-arcane energy taken from deep in the ocean near where the Well of Eternity had imploded. Some of the energies…and its opposing energies…still remained deep near the ocean floor. Illiana did not know exactly what it was but she didn't care. With that drop she could destroy the Sunwell and in so doing force the sin'dorei to seek another source of energy to feed an addiction that existed all the way back in time to when the Well of Eternity was still on the surface of the planet. That ring was the only piece of jewelry she wore on her fingers since that day. It glistened in the sun now as she raised her lightsaber in the air as another volley of arrows rained towards her. A single thin band of silver with a small golden stud atop it…and inside that stud was the single drop of anti-arcane energy.

Illiana took another step and stopped. Ahead of her and stepping from behind the archway leading to the Sunwell emerged a man wearing simple brown robes, and at his side pointed to the ground was a green bladed lightsaber. The jedi. She reached out through the Force and felt the tremendous amount of energy focused on this one man. Her foot retreated a half a step as she readied herself…he had come for her.

"Stop where you are and throw the lightsaber away," he called out to her. She wanted to look into his eyes, but he wore a silver band of metal over them. "You have lost, Illiana."

Mages and rangers retreated behind the jedi leaving just the two of them facing each other. She was too late…he had warned them, but they seemed just as afraid of him as they were of her. After a minute the only sound was the hum of their lightsabers.

"I know all about what you seek here," the man continued. "I know of the drill in Northrend…the dead-man's switch in your chest….and I know that you have come here alone. It's not too late, Illiana. Turn away from the dark side. Only through the light side can you find the peace that deep down you are searching for."

"You know nothing of what I desire," she replied. "I will destroy this font of energy and then they will worship me as a savior. I will be their queen…and I will avenge the murder of my mother!"

"What murder?" he asked. "Your mother is alive and well in Northrend. It was she who told us of what you plan."

"You lie!"

"Search your feelings…you know what I say is true," he answered calmly.

She sensed no deception from him, but he was also a jedi. Drakus warned her that they lied and knew how to hide the truth from the lies. She was certain he was lying to her now. The voice had assured her that her mother was dead…it had never failed to tell her the truth. It told her when Drakus planned to turn against her…how Azshara planned to use her…and it told her how to construct the failsafe ensuring that no one would harm her. The man was bluffing. He dare not act against her.

"I cannot allow you to taint the Sunwell," he continued. "And if you face me you cannot possibly win. Surrender, Illiana, and embrace the light side. Give up your anger and hatred…and find peace in the light side of the Force."

"You cannot stop me!" she yelled in reply. "If you truly know about the device in my chest then you also know that you cannot harm me! I am invincible! Untouchable! All of Azeroth is mine!"

The jedi shook his head. "It is true that I cannot stop your heart from beating for the damage to the planet would be too great," he said as his feet shifted. "However, I do not have to kill you to stop you."

He suddenly leapt through air at her with his blade swinging at her head. She just barely brought her blade up in time to deflect his attack. The lightsaber shook in her hand at the power he used in his strike against her. She spun on her heel and again just blocked a second swing of his lightsaber…this time at her waist. She backed up a step to distance herself from him, but he moved faster than she did closing the gap. His green blade flashed again shaking the lightsaber in her hand. Her arm up to her elbow was starting to go numb and it was only the third strike. His lightsaber was now held in a reverse grip and along his arm. He spun at her and again she was forced back on the defensive. Their blades clashed and sparks crackled again and again as they traded blows…his the offensive and hers the defensive. Desperately she reached out with her left hand and pushed through the Force. He stumbled back a step, and she lunged at him finally taking the offensive, but he sidestepped and her blade touched nothing. Fear gripped her and she quickly spun on her heel to block yet another swing of the jedi's lightsaber.

* * *

Lor'themar led an echelon of six in flight as they flew from Silvermoon City to the Sunwell Plateau. While he had been harsh with Demira during their meeting he was never truly angry with her. Disappointed maybe, but never angry. While she did marry the alien, had he been in her shoes he was not certain he would not have done the same thing. Spy reports and rumors had reached him that the man sought peace in the land and amongst its peoples. There was a mystique about him that he imagined was the main attraction the mage had for the man. Even the dragon Aspect Alexstrasza had been with them when Demira came to warn him of the danger to the Sunwell. If she listened to this alien and trusted him enough to act then maybe…just maybe….

While he truly did not believe there was any danger, the presence of a dragon with the couple had added some credence to some sort of threat, but he was confident of their defenses around the area. Now he flew atop his dragonhawk with five of his best guards towards the Sunwell that was indeed under attack by a woman as powerful as Demira had described. He no longer saw the dragon with the mage atop her, but he assumed they would land only minutes before he and his guards did. When they got closer he saw smoke from fires near the Sunwell, and his heart lurched in his chest. How could any of this be possible? They had taken every precaution after Velen had restored the Sunwell.

They started their approach to land, and below he saw the rangers and mages tasked with guarding the Sunwell had retreated back towards the building that housed it. Before them on the main pilgrimage road he spotted flashes of red and green. A man and woman were fighting with swords the likes of which he had never seen before. The formation flew overhead as he led them closer to the combatants. He recognized the alien fighting an elven woman…an elven woman with eyes frightening to behold as they were no elven eyes he knew existed in all of Azeroth. They were red and the woman's visage was one of pure hatred…almost pure evil. He tugged on the reigns and brought his dragonhawk to land closer to the guards and mages. He saw amongst them out on the front line near the battle the mage, Demira, and the dragon, Alexstrasza. They were watching the mage's spouse while also keeping his men and women back and away from the conflict. It was only now that he noticed several bodies of rangers and mages strewn on the ground between the survivors and the combatants. Surprising he had not noticed them when he flew overhead, but his attention was drawn to the strange elven woman. Lor'themar and his guards dismounted and marched to the front line where Demira stood. He stopped to stand beside her, but she did not look at him. This did not bother him, and as he looked at the two combatants his mouth opened. They were moving so fast he could barely keep up with them. Then the woman raised her hilt and struck the alien on the side of the head and the metal band he wore across his eyes flew off onto the ground. Lor'themar gasped when the man looked back at the other elf…looked at her with no eyes.

* * *

Illiana was on the defensive and she knew it. She drew upon the Force with all she could and yet still this jedi came at her again and again and again. Each time his blade contacted hers sparked flew and crackled…and pain shot through her arms. The power behind his attacks was incredible. Since she was a child, Drakus had instructed her in the various forms and arts with a lightsaber. He had made this weapon for her when she was only twelve…one with two blades. Since that time she had become so proficient with the saberstaff that she never thought she would ever use a single blade again. Then she met this jedi's padawan back at Drakus' fortress. She had destroyed Illiana's weapon leaving only half of it and only one functioning blade. She was left with a weapon she was unpracticed in using and now her lack of skill was apparent against this jedi. Until that time Illiana was certain she was an unmatched master because it was one of the few things Drakus praised her about. Such praise had to be based in truth…right? But that small human had bested her…bested her while expending more effort in not harming Illiana than actually trying to defeat her. Drakus was either a better liar than she ever imagined…or he simply was not a master with the weapons as he had led her to believe.

Finally she saw an opening as the jedi overstepped on his last attack. She was out of position to bring her blade into a counter, so she brought her hilt down into the side of his face. He rolled with the strike, and that infernal metal covering flew off is face. Finally! She would get a chance to look into his eyes and see the fear she knew had to be there. His fear would embolden her and strengthen her ties to the dark side. He straightened and looked at her…and she gasped almost dropping her lightsaber. Her body shook for he had no eyes…no eyes whatsoever. She staggered back a step as fear gripped her. How could he see? How could he move so fast and accurate without the ability to even see where she was and how she was moving? Another step backwards. The Force! That was the only explanation. He was so attuned to the Force that even without eyes he was overpowering her…his recent mistake was not because he tried too hard to kill her but instead because he was trying not to kill her. How could she defeat such a being? Another step and she fell to the ground. It was over…all of it…she could not win against this man. So this was the kind of being her father and Drakus feared…and now _she_ knew why they feared the jedi so. His face even without eyes was calm and serene. His breathing was normal with no sign of exertion while she was panting as she looked up at him. And she sensed no fear from him at all…no emotions whatsoever. He was like a conduit and the Force flowed through him…that much she could now sense. Unlike the way Drakus had taught her…to relay upon her emotions to draw upon the Force and to use it and bend it to her will this man instead suppressed his emotions and opened himself to the Force…and the connection was stronger than any she could ever hope to muster as Drakus had taught her. She was defeated.

_'Attack him now while he is vulnerable,' _the voice told her in her head. Was it simply that stupid? Did it want her to die?

"I cannot defeat him," she replied to the voice. The jedi cocked his head to the side as he looked down at her. "His connection to the Force is too great….I cannot do it!"

_'You can defeat him and you will,'_ it answered with a growl. _'Do not give up now that you are so close to what you desire most. Finish it! Attack him now and all will be yours!'_

"I cannot!" she said as she tossed her lightsaber to the side. "All of you have lied to me! All of my life no one has ever told me the truth! No one ever told me the jedi were so powerful! I cannot defeat him!"

Daneel stretched out with his hand and the metal visor flew through the air to his hand. He put it back in place over his vestigial eye sockets. "Who are you talking to, Illiana?"

"Can't you hear it?" she asked Daneel. "Am I the only one he ever speaks to?"

"Who, Illiana? Who is speaking to you," he asked. By now Demira, Alexstrasza, and Lor'themar had heard the woman and ran to join the jedi. "What is he called?"

_'Say nothing!'_ it demanded in her mind. The oppressiveness returned more profoundly than ever before, and Illiana screamed out in pain as she brought her hands to her temples. _'They are trying to trick you! Do not listen to them. Tell them nothing!'_

"I do not know his name. The voice has always been there when the others were just trying to use me," Illiana said to the jedi still pushing on her head with her hands. It felt like it would explode from the pressure the voice was applying. "Drakus, Azshara, my father…none of them really cared about what I wanted…only what they could use me for. It has been there to tell me the truth of their lies so that I could get what _I_ wanted."

"Neltharion also heard voices…voices of the Old Gods," Alexstrasza said to Daneel. "It could be that one speaks to her now and has been trying to get her here to die. The pain she feels seems to be that she is resisting some urging from it even now." She looked at the jedi. "Her death would mean the drill would fire and free them from their prison. It has been using her as the others have…driving her towards actions that would lead to her doom and their freedom."

"If it is another that controls her then I can shield her from it through the Force," Daneel stated. He extinguished his blade and placed the hilt on his belt. Taking a few steps closer to Illiana he said, "I can keep it from talking to you, Illiana. I can shield you from its influence. The pain will end and your mind will be yours once more."

"Drakus told me the jedi hate the sith. I am an elf but my father was sith…you hate me because of who my father was," she said shaking her head.

Lor'themar watched the exchange while standing beside the mage. Now as he looked at the elven woman on the ground her eyes were no longer red but the purest blue he had ever seen. Gone from her face was the scowl of hatred and anger and now replaced with one of a frightened child and one in intense pain and anguish. As much as he wanted retribution for what had happened here and what she tried to do, he felt sorry for her now. "I do not understand what is happening here," he whispered to Demira. "How can this be the same woman who only moments ago was slaughtering my rangers and mages?"

"The powers of the Force can be tied to strong emotions," Demira whispered back. "And this influence of an Old God explains a great many things. I doubt she was ever fully in control of herself."

"The jedi do not hate the sith," Daneel said to Illiana. "Nor do I hate you. I want to help you if you will let me. I can shield you from the voice..." he said raising his hands.

She first shook her head no, but then yes as the pain from the voice intensified. Daneel stretched both hands towards the elf and the air around them and between them began to glow. Illiana lifted from the ground and then she arched her back. After a minute she lowered to the ground to slump on her knees. The glow dissipated as Daneel lowered his arms…and then doubled over before dropping to one knee. Demira rushed to his side.

"The power of the one controlling her is staggering," Daneel gasped. "But her mind is now free. I was successful in shielding her from its influence."

"You are weakened," Alexstrasza stated as she knelt beside him opposite of Demira. Lor'themar walked to stand behind her and looked down at Illiana. "I can sense that what you have done for this woman has taken a great toll upon you. Perhaps the price to protect her from the Old God is too high."

"I will recover," Daneel replied. "I used this same technique to save my master from another who also controlled minds from a distance." He looked up at Lor'themar. "We must protect her from harm, however, as the device in her chest is still active. We cannot let that drill in Northrend fire into the crust."

"Before anything I would like to learn what she planned for the Sunwell," Lor'themar replied. "I cannot allow such an act against it or the sin'dorei go without some sort of explanation."

Illiana looked up at the regent and then removed a single ring from her finger. She looked at Lor'themar with innocent blue eyes. "I was going to use this," she said timidly. "In this ring is a single drop of what Azshara called anti-arcane energy. It would nullify the waters in the Sunwell and neutralize the energies within essentially destroying it." She held it up to him. "I am ….sorry."

"What you have done is punishable by death," the regent said bluntly.

"You cannot," Demira stated as she stood. "Her death could bring about a catastrophe as great as the Cataclysm."

"Then what would you suggest?" he asked. "This cannot go unanswered for."

"Keep the ring for safe keeping," Demira offered. "She has given you the one thing that could destroy the Sunwell. Who better to keep it safe than the sin'dorei?"

"And her?" he said with a nod. "Keeping safe the means to destroy the Sunwell is only a partial step. She still must answer for the deaths she caused."

"She was controlled by an Old God," Demira pleaded. "Would you sentence another elf to death because she was not acting of her own will?" Beside her Alexstrasza helped Daneel stand. He was still weak but getting stronger.

"I could…release her into Alexstrasza's custody," he said with a sigh. "A former Aspect would be a higher authority on Azeroth than either a mage or an alien from another world. And if she were to vouch for this theory that this woman was acting under the influence of an Old God…then who would I be to argue?" He leaned over and whispered to Demira. "That, I think, would satisfy the law."

* * *

Kuro stood over the hole under the drill and lowered her arms. Or more accurately what used to be a hole. Using the abilities of earth that were common with black dragons she had filled the hole and solidified the rock below the drill, but everyone knew it was only a delaying tactic. Should the drill fire it would still reach deep into the crust and even the mantle still causing damage to the fault Kuro confirmed they were standing over. Now it was up to Zharn to retrieve the orc from Outland so that he could translate the controls for Windi and she could at least disarm the device. Kuro turned to face Kitali and Ysera who were on this level with her. She smiled at them both.

"What was that glowing that was there before?" the shaman asked. "I couldn't see the bottom so it wasn't from that."

"Bioluminescence," Kuro replied.

"Bio…what?"

"Fungus," Ysera answered. "I am surprised I did not sense that before."

"Not really a surprise," Kuro stated. "There are fungus' that live in the deep places of the world that are not present on the surface where you are used to sensing life."

"You didn't kill it…did you?" Kitali asked.

"No…I simply asked it to retreat into the rocks before I filled the hole," the black dragon answered. "I have done enough killing. Even harming the fungus is repugnant to me now."

"That's good to hear," the shaman said. "Alexstrasza, Demira, and Daneel should be here tomorrow with the girl so all that remains is for Zharn to get here with Grogg. Then we can disarm this drill and the world will be safe…at least from this thing," she said pointing up at the drill."

"What is disturbing is to learn that an Old God is most likely behind all of this," Ysera said. "I doubt that the girl is the only plan that is in play."

The three women turned and began walking towards the lift to the upper levels. "You said Demira told you something happened with the blood elves?" Kuro asked Kitali.

"She didn't go into detail except to say that the girl was released into Alexstrasza's custody instead of the death sentence normally applied for attacking the Sunwell," the draenei replied as they walked. "And I am guessing there is some tension between her and the regent. She said something about having to move once this is all over."

"That is a shame, really," Kuro said. "Where do you suppose they will have to move to? I mean Demira and Daneel?"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Kitali replied as they reached the lift. "They lived in Eversong Woods not only because that was her home, but there is something else that we have kept hidden from the rest of the world. Before anything changes _that_ will have to be addressed."

"What have you kept hidden?" Ysera asked. "I know we told them in Astranaar that we would not pry into such matters, but it seems now that perhaps it is time to learn such things…at least about the one in Eversong Woods."

Kitali looked at them and sighed. "They lived next to an old hidden sith base," she began. "In that base is a collection of knowledge of what some of those people did here for the past thirteen hundred years. And there are some technological devices, schematics, and designs that can never fall into the wrong hands….ever."

"Then why not move those things to this place?" Kuro asked. "Except for our group it is still unknown to the rest of the world….secluded…and already a treasure trove of technology."

They stepped onto the lift and Kitali activated the controls. "One simple reason….Demira doesn't like the cold."


	13. Sacrifices

**_Part Twelve: Sacrifices_**

Vethsera walked along the concentric corridor towards the room where they held the elven woman named Raeva. She had just come from Risera's room where her fellow dragon was recovering from the injuries she received by Raeva's daughter. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful the woman had been retrieved by the jedi and the Life Binder because part of her wanted to burn the skin from the woman's flesh for what she had done to Risera. Tariolstrasz walked beside her. Like Risera he was injured during this entire ordeal, but his came from a different source. His arms were still bandaged, but Vethsera wanted him along to keep her from doing something rash and foolish to the mother. As they approached the prisoner's door, Adaria emerged closing the door behind her. She nodded to the two dragons as she started walking towards them.

"The woman is resting," she said in passing.

The two dragons looked at each other then back at Adaria. She did not look back as she continued walking away from them. The druid was wearing form-fitting leathers that covered her entire body, and on her left leg was the slightest hint of a reddish handprint. Sensing something was wrong they hurried to Raeva's room and opened the door. The woman was lying unconscious on the floor with her head and shoulders propped against the wall. Her faced was bruised and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and her clothing was ripped in several places. Under some of her fingernails were sharpened twigs used in torturing the woman for information. Vethsera ran from the room and looked in the direction where Adaria had walked past them. The druid was still walking and looking back in the direction of the room, and upon seeing the green dragon emerge began running. Without hesitation Vethsera pursued her through several corridors as the night elf tried to escape. Why had the druid tortured the woman? What was the purpose? They had confirmation that the daughter was captured and being brought back to the fortress, so what was there to gain? It made no sense. As she ran after Adaria she realized they had not seen her for almost a day. The druid was not aware that the daughter had been captured. Was that why she tortured the elf back in the room? Was it to get information they did not need or already had, or was it some act of vengeance? Adaria ran past the lift to the lower levels. As Vethsera reached it the door had opened and Ysera, Kitali, and Kuro almost walked out and into her. She skirted the far wall across from the door and kept running.

"It's Adaria!" she yelled without stopping. "She tortured the mother!"

The three women joined in the pursuit without hesitation. There was no reason for harming the mother and Kitali had made it clear she did not want the old elf mistreated. Ahead of them Adaria ducked down one of the passages leading to the outer rings of rooms. The women split up following her trying to cut-off her avenue to the corridor leading to the lift that led out of the mountain. If the druid escaped they could be hard pressed to catch her. Whatever her plans were, they could not be good after what she had done to the mother. Raeva's condition hinted to a deep-seated rage aimed at someone or something and the need for bloodshed. And all of them had the same question in their minds…why? Vethsera spotted the druid as she stopped at an intersection of hallways. She looked back at the dragon…her hair cascading as her head moved for the quick look and then back ahead of her. That one second's pause allowed Tariolstrasz to catch her as Vethsera saw him careen from one of the corridors into the druid. Both night elf and dragon crashed to the floor and opposite wall. As she approached, the druid scrambled trying to free herself from Tariolstrasz, but with his bandaged hands he had wrapped his arms around her legs immobilizing them. Vethsera arrived just in time to catch Adaria's arm as she was about to slam her fist into the red dragon's head. Adaria looked up at the green dragon and the other three women rapidly approaching behind her.

"Let me go!" she screamed at them as she punched Vethsera. "I have to stop her! I have to stop her and save the natural order of things! I have to save the world!"

Kitali and Vethsera maneuvered to restrict the druids arms while Kuro helped Tariolstrasz. The druid struggled with all of her might and Ysera joined the other two women. Adaria was freakishly strong as it was a struggle for all three women to restrain her. Her legs flung wildly kicking Kitali and Vethsera both in the thighs and shins.

"Let me go!" she screamed as they got her up against the wall.

"The jedi captured the girl," Kitali said as she pinned Adaria's left arm.

"No!" the druid screamed. "I have to go! I have to stop her. She will turn her red eyes against all that is natural and corrupt the world. He told me so and I must stop her!"

Kitali stole a glance at Ysera. Kuro was trying to adjust the bandaging on Tariolstrasz's hands and looked up at the druid as well. "Who told you?" Ysera asked. "Who is he?"

"I don't know his name! I don't need his name! I saw it! I saw her with her red eyes and burning everything with lightning and fire! Aeyrn…the furbolgs…Risera…Astranaar …everything…all was on fire and because of her! I must stop her!"

"It's gotten to her as well," Kuro said looking up as she adjusted Tariolstrasz's bandages. "I know that paranoia all too well."

"You mean to say she's also being influenced by an Old God? Like the girl?" Kitali asked as she continued struggling with Adaria. Daneel's holocom message indicated as much when he told them about coming to the fortress with the girl in their custody. She looked at Ysera who nodded that she agreed with the black dragon. "How? And why?"

"Ysera said it herself….that the girl was probably not the only plan in play. Think of it…we save the girl and bring her back here to safety. Who better to kill the girl than one of us. She dies and the drill fires and the Old God still gets what it wants…freedom."

"But for a paranoia like this it has to have been working on her for some time," Ysera added as she also struggled with the druid. "She keeps mentioning red eyes. It must be a reference from something else besides the girl. Our one encounter with her was not something so traumatic as to cause this level of fear. It has to be something that has frightened her before and the Old God is using it as a source to drive her to _this_ act of desperation."

"Let me go!" the druid screamed.

Ysera managed to get a hand free and touched the druid on the forehead. She growled at the dragon. Ysera closed her eyes and a faint glow came from her hand. "Sleep," she said and Adaria slumped in their arms.

"Damn this woman is strong," Kitali said panting. She looked at Kuro and Ysera as Vethsera lowered the night elf to sit against the wall sound asleep. "I have a hunch I know where she's seen red eyes besides the girl…Thera'gon. That attack she mentioned he used that almost killed her brother...it was sith in origin. Dark side users have red eyes like a sith…and she mentioned that he had red eyes when he unleashed his barrage of lightning." She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "I remember she was looking in the woods when I worked with Daneel and another druid to save her brother from the terentatek poison. She mentioned seeing his face in the woods…watching her and with red eyes that followed her."

"It's her nightmare," Ysera added looking down at Adaria. "So the Old God has entered her mind and supplanted the girl in place of Thera'gon. It's been pushing her to finding the girl to stop her threat to nature. The face in the woods watching while everything burns around her. A very effective tactic on a druid."

"But why attack the mother?" Vethsera asked.

"Because Adaria did not know what most of us already knew," Kuro stated. "So to get to the girl she needed to know where she was and where she was going. She tortured the mother to find out where the girl went." She helped Tariolstrasz stand. "We'll have to keep her secure someplace until we can get the drill disarmed."

"What about the rest of us?" Kitali asked. "If this Old God is so hell-bent on escape by the girl's death then any one of us is a danger."

Kuro nodded. "No…it's not that simple. As a victim of voices in my head and being controlled by another…they have to have a way in first. For me it was my trust in Deathwing because he was the Aspect of our flight. For Adaria it would be the nightmares. She'd already be susceptible to suggestion by the Old God because of her fear of Thera'gon. As Ysera suggested…replace the old elf for the daughter and Adaria would be convinced that the girl was the root of all her fears and threats to the natural world and that she would have to stop her from destroying everything. Plus you would know if it was happening to you because the voices are separate and not like your own thoughts. She mentioned _he_ told her…and Daneel said the girl said something similar. They hear the voice of another being that seems as a friend yet is anything but."

"Do either of you get the feeling we may be in over our heads?" Kitali asked. The other two nodded no. "Just me then? Great." She looked down at the sleeping night elf. "Now I wish I had told Zharn to come here instead of Shattrath." She looked up at the others who gave her quizzical looks. "If the world is about to end I would at least like to see him one more time."

* * *

Azshara walked along the old decrepit corridors of ruins long in decay. These old buildings were the remnants of a small city and all the remained on a small island about a day's swim for her from the coast of Northrend. Gulls and other sea birds flew around the remains of towers and rooftops that had partially collapsed after the ravages of time and weather. Their droppings marbled the exposed masonry. Moss grew along the stones of the walls and walkways, and some small trees had grown up and through some of the buildings. This was a long forgotten place and even Azshara could not remember its name. The sky was overcast with gray clouds that appeared ready to drop a downpour at any moment. Waves crashed against the rocky shores and the wind howled. It was almost macabre. She walked into an old courtyard where a worn statue of her was still standing in the center. Features on the face and body had been eroded by the salt water spray from the shores and the winds that seemed to blow constantly. When she was queen this might have been a lovely place, but now it was very foreboding to the fearful. They would assume it was haunted. At the far end of the courtyard was the only remaining intact building on the island. She lowered her head as she walked in her elven form towards the door. It opened when she approached. Such theatrics. With a heavy sigh she entered the building which on this level was simply a large room with a few broken windows. To her left were another doorway and a staircase that led to lower levels. She glided down the stairs for two levels before entering another room much like the one on the main floor. Lanterns and torches aligned the walls and to her right was a man in hooded black robes standing with his back to her and facing a broken mirror frame. A board near the door creaked under her step, but the man did not react. Azshara sighed again and walked to stand about ten feet behind him. He was known to her only as Avatar. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

"It has been some time since you came to see me," the man said with a raspy voice. He moved his arms as if he was manipulating something in front of him and out of the queen's view. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Was it you that convinced her to break from me?" she asked him. "I should flay the skin from your bones for making her defy me."

"Tsk…tsk," he answered waving his black gloved finger at her over his shoulder. "I told you before I can only offer suggestions…I cannot control her or make her do anything against her will."

"My plans are all for naught thanks to your ineptitude," she snarled. "You were supposed to ensure she did her part. You were the one who was…"

"I was supposed to do as our master desired…or have you forgotten that?" he asked interrupting her. She ground her teeth at his impertinence. "Do not forget that we both serve the same master. He spared you from certain doom just as he spared me. He has given us both power beyond our measure…and what he hath given to us he can just as easily taketh away."

"I was given nothing!" she countered.

"Oh?" he said turning around. His withered human features were pale as the moon. "So you saved yourself then…when the Well of Eternity imploded pulling you to the bottom of the sea? You made yourself and your faithful into the naga roaming the oceans today?" He stepped from the broken mirror frame. In his right hand he held a small metal device cylindrical in shape. "I know better, Azshara. He spared you from death that day…just as he spared me from my own demise thirteen centuries ago." He took a step towards her. "He gifted you with immeasurable power and immortal life. Don't deny this."

"I deserved it! I was owed it!" she shouted. "I am Azshara and I was queen!"

"You deserved nothing because you are nothing compared to him," the old human replied. "He saved you because you served a purpose for him…one that you still owe him."

"And I will once I rule this world again," she said.

"That was never his goal or his purpose for you," came the reply as he turned back to face the mirror. "Unfortunately you are correct that I no longer have influence over the child. The jedi is blocking me from speaking to her mind. But there is another…and I may still yet succeed where our master demands it."

"And how will that help me to regain my throne?" Azshara asked. "That is all that concerns me. The girl was instrumental to _my_ plans."

"Your throne was never _the_ plan for the girl," the old man replied. "The master cares not whether you ever get back your throne." Azshara scoffed behind him. "The girl was a means to our master's freedom and still is if the other can accomplish what I imply to her. Regaining your throne was only a benefit to you and nothing more." He turned back and looked at her with an evil grin. "Though I doubt ruling over a dead world would ever suit _your_ needs."

"He made me a promise!"

"And here you stand living and breathing. I think he fulfilled his promise…wouldn't you agree? You are alive…are you not? And are you not one of the most powerful beings on this world? He never promised anything more than that."

"What was his promise to you?" she asked glowering at him. She hated that he was right despite that it went against everything she desired. Deathwing had denied his master so surely she could as well. "What benefit would you gain if he rises and the world ended?"

The old man turned back to face the mirror. "I may live perhaps for another century or less so my life is near its end anyway," he stated. "I was only promised one thing before I died…a chance at vengeance."

"Vengeance against whom?"

"On the one that acts against us now," he answered. "I will meet this jedi and face him in combat. When I have done that then my life will end…one way or another."

* * *

Daneel stood over Adaria who was tied down to a bed. In the room behind him were Demira, Kitali, Alexstrasza, and Ysera. The druid was thrashing against her bonds and screaming for them to release her so she could stop the red-eyed woman from burning the world. When the jedi had returned he was informed of the theory that like Illiana, Adaria was also tormented by the voice of an Old God. He now stood over her a day later prepared to perform the same shielding technique he used on Illiana back near the Sunwell. That woman was resting with her mother who was recovering from her injuries sustained when the druid had tortured her. Despite all that she endured she told Adaria nothing about her daughter's plans. The druid's flight was one of desperation based not on information from Raeva but a deep urging to find the daughter at all costs including her own life. Illiana was still confused about what had happened to her and her memories over the past decade were spotty. She remembered finding her mother, but details about Drakus' death or her plans for the Sunwell were very hazy. She didn't remember planning to destroy the magical font or ever meeting the naga queen. Illiana was still shock to discover she had a dead-man's switch implanted in her chest. Her initial reaction upon learning of the device was to claw at her chest demanding they remove it, but now with her mother's help she was at least starting to come to terms that she had done some things she now regretted. Her last clear memory was lying on the floor of the main chamber of this fortress bleeding from her mouth after the old sith had struck her. She had failed in some task and he was berating her for that failure and that she would never amount to anything worthy because her blood was not pure. She didn't even remember what that task was that she failed to perform to Drakus' satisfaction. Afterwards she only remembered events that were happy moments for her like travelling across Northrend with her mother, finding her for the first time, and when Drakus told her that Raeva still lived. Until she was in her twenties she was led to believe that Raeva died giving birth to her. The old sith had finally revealed the truth as a way of mocking her. Illiana at her core possessed a kind soul, and it was the constant tortures by Drakus that began to darken her spirit and allow the Old God to gain control over her. Now that she was shielded by the jedi, the goodness of her heart was becoming apparent and returning.

Daneel turned around to face the others. Like Illiana, the woman lying before him suffered a similar curse...controlled by a malevolent being bent on destruction. He saw no other alternative but to shield this woman as he had the other. But he was still weakened and deep down knew that this time he might fail or worse. The power of the Old God exerting its control over these women made the power of Terrak Morrhage seem like a grain of sand in a desert. Whatever might happen to him he knew he must at least try. Saving these women was no different than when he saved his own master and others controlled by Morrhage...the need was no less. Daneel's heart ached for what he was about to put Demira through.

"I must warn you all that when I do this…I may be too weak to stay conscious," he said to them and especially to Demira.

"Then don't," the mage pleaded as she moved towards him. "If it's that dangerous then do not do this. We can keep her here and safe until we find out who is behind all of this."

"If I do not do this then she could die," he said quietly to her as he reached out and held her hands. "I must shield her to save her mind."

"There must be another way," she said with a tear in her eye. She released his hands and embraced him. "It's too dangerous…I don't want you to do this."

"I must."

"Why?"

"Because I am the only one that knows how," he replied holding her tightly. "Believe me I wish there was some other way." He reached up and wiped the tear from her eye. "If I do fall unconscious then the only way to wake me and return my strength is to end the power that I am shielding them from."

"An Old God?" Kitali blurted. "To save you we have to kill an Old God?" Daneel nodded to her without looking from Demira's face. "This is insane! Demira's right…don't do this!" She looked at the two dragons. "Don't you know of another way? We can't just let him endanger himself!"

"If we did know of a way we would have done such long ago with our brother," Alexstrasza answered. Ysera nodded in agreement.

"You will protect me and save me," he said mostly to Demira. "I have complete trust and faith in you." He kissed her deeply. When their lips parted he said, "I love you Demira. I will always love you."

"And I love you, Daneel," she whispered. She reached up and placed her finger on his lips. "Whatever happens I will never leave your side. I will stay with you and watch over you until you return to me."

Daneel and Demira parted and she backed up holding her hands close to her heart. Kitali came to her side and wrapped her arms around the elf's shoulders. He nodded to the two former Aspects who returned his gesture with great respect. Taking a deep breath he turned to face Adaria who was still shouting for them to release her. He reached towards her with both arms and the air around them and between them glowed. The night elf arched her back straining against her bindings as the glow intensified. For a minute Demira held her breath as her husband was making what was possibly the ultimate sacrifice to save another. While her heart was proud of him and what he was doing she was also filled with great sorrow. Soon the glowing stopped and Adaria collapsed in the bed….and so too did Daneel to the floor. Demira gasped and ran to his side. He was breathing but unresponsive. She looked up at the other women with tears flowing down her cheeks and then back at the man whose head she held in her arms.

"Wh-what happened? Where am I?" Adaria asked groggily.

Kitali looked at the two dragons saying angrily to them, "Now we have to find an Old God."

* * *

The Avatar growled in the ruins as he stalked towards the remaining building standing near the courtyard. As he passed the worn statue of Azshara he reached out and bolts of Force lighting shattered it to dust. His hold on the druid was broken…blocked by that jedi. He could feel the man resisting him through the Force, and he poured more power against the shield that blocked him from both women. He would kill the jedi to break through if necessary, but as he pushed harder and harder against the shield it grew stronger and stronger. He envisioned the jedi standing on the other side against him in a mental battle of wills. Every move he made to circumvent the blockage the jedi countered. He stalked into the building and headed to the stairway leading down to the room with the broken mirror. As he passed a broken window he reached out and shattered the remaining glass as well as most of the surrounding wall with a Force push.

As he walked the stairs he remembered how he came to be his master's avatar on the surface. When he was a boy of ten his people fled from a great enemy. They flew in ships from world to world fleeing those that meant to exterminate them. On an icy world they were approached by a strange and powerful being that offered them salvation…and they took it. Several years later their one remaining ship, augmented by their savior, landed on this world. But they were a fractured people. Some succumbed to the ravages of a plague started by the same powerful being that promised them salvation. A few others, like his father, broke free from their supposed savior and fled to remote corners of the world seeking survival and a meager existence. One day as he flew over one of this world's oceans in a speeder with his father and several other lords, he accidentally dropped a small device into the waters below. His father was angry as were the others, and in punishment he was thrown into the ocean after the machine. He went deep into the waters and when he finally swam back to the surface he saw the speeder in the distance. The others…his own father…had left him there to die on the middle of the ocean with no land within sight. He stayed afloat for less than an hour before fatigue overwhelmed him and he sank beneath the waters. Knowing he was about to die he heard a muffled voice calling to him. He opened his mouth to answer but only swallowed water. In his mind he screamed in rage at this ignoble fate. But the waters did not drown him. He opened his eyes as he floated…and the voice spoke again. In return for sparing his life he would act as its voice in the physical world on the surface. Serve his new savior well and one day he would meet one who was responsible for all that had happened to bring him to this fate. If he refused then the waters would fill his lungs and he would drown. At the age of thirty he did not want to die and so he accepted the deal from his master…one named N'Zoth. He was brought to an island only three days swim from where he was abandoned, and it was here he had lived in solitude since that day.

N'Zoth enhanced his connection to the dark side of the Force and he invaded the minds of powerful beings living on this world. He spoke to them and directed them as his master commanded. The Old God only spoke directly to those with great power, those like the black dragon Aspect Neltharion, and it was his avatar who spoke to the lesser beings…beings still influential but not as powerful as someone like Deathwing. All was done with one purpose…to free his master from his prison. N'Zoth held no secrets from him and he knew that his master's ultimate goal was to undo the creation of his captors. His life was eternal, and his avatar was only mortal. This did not bother the man as he never desired immortality. Those mortals who yearned for such were simply fearful of death, and with the Force there was no death.

He entered the room with the broken mirror and crossed over to stand before it. "He has blocked me yet again, Master," he spoke aloud. "I have failed you."

_"This is only a minor setback, my Avatar,"_ the voice of N'Zoth said in his mind. _"But you will need to destroy the female yourself."_

"If that is your command," he replied.

_"Do this and the gift I promised is yours as well,"_ the master said. _"The jedi is also near the girl. Kill her, and you will also find the jedi. Your dream of vengeance will be fulfilled."_

The Avatar closed his eyes and breathed deeply. At first he had blamed his father for what had happened to him, but over the years and countless hours of thinking about all that had happened in his life he realized that everything was to blame on those that hunted them when he was just that ten-year-old boy. The jedi hunted them, and it was they and not his father who was to blame. He opened his eyes and looked at the broken mirror.

"Show me where," he said.

Before him inside the frame a hazy image emerged. An elven woman leaned over a comatose man lying on a bed. He was adorned in brown robes he knew to be those of the jedi. She was crying and holding his hands. Behind her stood several others including a night elf and a blood elf. He recognized both of them. The blood elf was the girl he needed to kill. A smile crossed his withered face.

_"You will find them in Northrend in an old Titan fortress nestled into the side of a mountain. Go there and kill her…and then the jedi will be yours."_

He bowed his head at the mirror as the image dissipated. "It will be done, my Master."


	14. Attack on the Fortress

**_Part Thirteen: Attack on the Fortress_**

At Wyrmrest Temple Celeste and Valithria awaited word from Kitali. She had reached them via holocom to inform them that Daneel had subdued the girl and was returning to the Northrend fortress. When they had received the call they were almost half way to the Eastern Kingdoms. Turning around they began their journey back, and it was at Wyrmrest where Valithria decided she needed a rest. Dragons could fly for great distances over a long length of time, but they still needed rest periodically during a long journey. Kandrostrasz had rendezvoused with them at the Temple and the three of them were enjoying a slight reprieve for the past couple of days. Then the call came that brought bad news. Adaria had tortured the mother they held captive and was trying to leave in order to find the girl and kill her. Celeste wanted to return right away, but the draenei stated she wanted them where they were and mobile in case something would arise that required their involvement in tracking the druid or possibly another of them that could fall under the influence of the Old God. The dragons had to remain in humanoid form when at the fortress due to the confines of the interior, but at Wyrmrest Temple they could remain in their natural state giving them much more flexibility. The padawn and two dragons had been edgy since that call. The red and green flew around the tower pensive while Celeste paced inside. Meditation did not work to calm her anxieties, so she had walked ever corner and discovered every nook and cranny in the place, but nothing could keep her mind from wandering. On the third day and at least a day after she knew her master would have reached the fortress, The two dragons landed on the upper level. In the distance they had spotted two other dragons flying towards them. An hour later Alexstrasza landed with Risera beside her. Valithria rushed to the green's side. Her scales were darker than normal and showed signs they had been burnt while others were missing, but the reptile smiled to her flight-mate as she approached.

"You have recovered," Valithria said to Risera with glee. "When I heard what happened…"

"Nothing permanent," the wounded green replied. "I am healing quite well. The scales will grow back in time." The two dragons wrapped their necks around each other in an embrace. To their side Kandrostrasz nuzzled Alexstrasza happy to see his queen again. "I am glad to see you too," she said to him.

Celeste watched the reunion of the dragons partially relieved that things seemed better with the appearance of the Life Binder, but also apprehensive for the same reason. Why only the two and not all of the dragons? And where was Ysera? As Kandrostrasz stepped away from his queen, the former Aspect looked down at the padawan. The smile she had been wearing waned, and the other dragons' attentions were drawn to her immediately almost sensing she had more bad news. Risera lowered her head as the great red began speaking to the small human.

"I am afraid I bring bad tidings regarding your master," she said quietly. Celeste staggered back a step. "I have brought Risera here because this place holds special meaning for us dragons, and her healing will be greatly enhanced here. She will remain with Valithria and Kandrostrasz." She looked at her fellow red and smiled. "Tariolstrasz declined to come, and I couldn't refuse him," she told him with a smile answering the unspoken question. Kandrostrasz simply nodded. She looked back down at the padawan who was wringing her hands. The wind blew just then wrapping her long blonde hair around her beatific face. "I will return to the fortress with you, Celeste, and I will tell you all that has happened on the way."

"Is he alright? Is he hurt?" the padawan asked. "Tell me he is ok."

"He is in great peril, young one," Alexstrasza answered with sorrow.

"What kind of peril," Kandrostrasz asked as he thought back to Silithus and the actions the man had taken against the leviathans. Daneel had earned the red's respect that day.

"His body lies unconscious as he struggles in another plane with at least one Old God or perhaps more," the dragon queen replied. Kandrostrasz and Valithria reacted while Risera remained poised with her head lowered…she already knew. The male's mouth gaped as if to speak. "He is unlike any mortal I have ever met. In many ways he is like Go'el in that he entered into his conflict with the Old God willingly and knowing the consequences. But unlike Go'el he did not hesitate…he did not waver…he had no doubt that what he is doing is what must be done…and _we_ must do all we can to help him and return him to us…and to his wife." She lowered her head close to the ground near Celeste. "Climb onto my back and I will tell you the rest as we fly to the fortress."

* * *

The Avatar stood at the end of the old creaky wooden pier as he watched the _Widow's Thigh_ approach. The ships always changed over the past thirteen hundred years, but one thing that was constant about them was that they arrived at the same time of the same day every two months bringing him supplies. Before today he never bothered to meet any of the ship's captains or crews. They simply arrived, left the crates stacked at the end of the dock, and departed. He knew another agent of his master provided such things and always in a timely manner. Only once in thirteen hundred years had a greedy crew bothered to try and explore the island, and he slaughtered them for their trespass. Their ship he untied from his dock and allowed it to drift away in the ocean current. No one ever came looking for the missing ship or crew.

Today, however, he would leave the island for the first time. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as the vessel drew closer. His black hood remained pulled over his head even as a gust of wind blew into his face. Spray from crashing waves pelted him, but his black robes remained dry. Finally the ship approached the dock. Deckhands scurried atop the ship preparing moorings while others manipulated a large pulley raising his cargo from the lower decks. He uncrossed his arms and casually walked to the end of the dock where the ship's crew had lowered a gangplank. Coming down was a goblin followed by a muscular human with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"See…I told ya there was actually someone living on this island," the goblin said to the human. He looked at the Avatar with a discerning eye. "A frail old man by the looks of it."

"I bet there is more than just him living here," the human said with a grin. "By the looks of this one he couldn't even lift the lid off one of those crates. This is our third trip here and always the crates are moved when we return. He ain't alone."

They stopped at the bottom of the ramp as the Avatar approached. The goblin grinned at the human and then looked back at the Avatar. "You want us to just leave the crates with you, old man?"

He stopped before them and wiped the water from his pointed white goatee. "You will take me to Northrend."

The two sailors looked at each other and laughed. The goblin gave the human a playful elbow to the leg. "You hear that? He wants us to take him to Northrend." He looked at the Avatar with a wider grin. "We just came from Northrend with no intentions of returning. Ole' Bartels here was mighty disappointed when we departed. He was hoping to get reacquainted with this elven wench he had the _pleasure_ of knowing…if ya know what I mean."

The man called Bartels laughed. "Still breaks me heart she was not there. Met her back at Fizzle and Pozzik's I did. Prettiest red hair and one of those bodies you dream about. Told me she was coming to Northrend and joined me in me cabin for a night. Then some mage opened one of those portal things and she went there all quick like. I was hoping to be lucky enough to see her again. She had the greatest set of tits and really knew how to move her ass. I was thinking we'd maybe find her and meet up for at least one more pickle tickle while we were up there. I swear she was the best fuck I ever had."

The Avatar gazed at them with a hard expression. "Your dalliances do not concern me. You _will_ take me to Northrend…now."

The human and goblin turned serious. "Look here…I'm captain of the _Widow's_ _Thigh_," the goblin said pointing at his chest with his thumb. "And I decide where it goes. There ain't nothing you or…"

He suddenly grabbed his throat and began choking. The human gaped at his captain and then back at the frail old man who was holding his right hand out towards the goblin. A good ten feet of empty space was between them, but he could swear the man was causing his captain's choking fit. Then the old man looked at him and for the first time he could see his eyes…red eyes with yellow circles around the irises. Bartels swallowed hard and looked back at the goblin. Veins were bulging on his neck and face as he struggled to breathe.

"You, captain, will take me to Northrend," the Avatar said coldly to Bartels. "And you will take me there now." Bartels nodded yes as he heard bones crack and watched the goblin's body go limp. He was just promoted to captain of the _Widow's Thigh_.

* * *

Zharn sat back in his chair while Grogg spooned soup into his mouth. It wasn't hard to find the orc in Shattrath City, but convincing him to leave and come to Northrend had proven difficult. The man simply had no desire to return to Azeroth. It had taken most of the day to get him to agree to meet here, in World's End Tavern, to discuss even a remote possibility to come back to the world where he was born. Zharn believed the orc agreed mostly for the prospect of free food. Behind them on the stage Perry Gatner was performing his comedic routine. Occasionally he would say something funny and Grogg would laugh boisterously. Zharn politely joined him, but his concentration was more on convincing the orc to return to Azeroth and help with disarming the drill. The comic right now was not what was grating on the shaman's nerves, however. It was Haris Pilton and her vapid comments that were wearing on Zharn's patience. He turned around and was about to say something to the socialite when two orc women entered the tavern. He was pointing and had his mouth open to speak, but something about the two women seemed vaguely familiar stopping him in mid-action.

"What? You like my bag? It's a Gigantique," Haris Pilton said to Zharn. When he didn't respond to her she thrust her nose in the air. "Psshh…whatever."

The two women walked past the blood elf and stopped next to Zharn's table. Grogg held a spoon half way to his mouth and stared at the two newcomers. Zharn rolled his eyes at the sudden change in Grogg's demeanor. The spoon slowly lowered while he smoothed his long black hair with his other hand. One had darker green skin with long black hair and blue eyes. The other had vibrant green skin and green hair that fell to her shoulders. She was quite a bit thinner than her companion…thin almost like an elf which made Zharn examine them closely. For orc women both were slimly built and very beautiful which also made the shaman wary. They would've driven many in Orgrimmar crazy with lust because their appearances were extremely rare amongst his people. And now he was looking at two of them. What were the odds especially here in Shattrath? Zharn followed them with his eyes as each grabbed a chair and sat down.

"What are two lovely ladies like yourselves doing here?" Grogg asked as he adjusted what little collar he had on his sleeveless black tunic. Obviously he did not have the same concerns as Zharn and most likely was hoping for a dalliance with one or both of the women. "And what can I do to make you stay?"

"We can't stay long," the one with black hair replied as she looked at Zharn. "We have pressing matters elsewhere…isn't that right, Zharn."

"Hey…she knows your name. Does your wife know about her?" Grogg teased. "I mean…I can keep a secret if you need me to." He looked over to the green haired one. "Perhaps you can stay? I know the owner and he keeps a room for me in back. We could…you know…"

Zharn leaned forward on the table resting his elbows on the edge and his chin in his hands. He studied the outspoken woman…and her blue eyes. Blue eyes were very rare amongst orcs and if he had met her before he would definitely remember her eyes. He took a deep breath. "Do I know you from somewhere…miss?" he asked her.

"We've never personally met," she replied. Zharn looked at the one with green hair then back at the other. "But we have a mutual friend that desperately needs your help. Specifically…we need your friend's help." She looked at Grogg. "So is he coming back to Northrend on his own? Or do we need to force him?"

The shaman lifted his head. "Is this some kind of trick?" Grogg asked. "I told you I don't really want to return to that world. I like it here. People treat me fairly here. Getting these two to come over to seduce me…"

"We did not come here to seduce you," the one with green hair replied. "But we must return and soon…and you are coming with us."

"Who are you?" Zharn asked still looking at the one with black hair and blue eyes. "And how do you know why I have come here?"

"I am Kuro," she said bluntly. "Your wife sent us. Windi is no closer to disarming the device and there is another development that I am certain you will be interested in."

"Cute name to match the cute face, but I'm still not going to Azeroth or Northrend or anywhere on that world," Grogg stated as he spooned soup into his mouth. His interest in sex with either woman had apparently waned greatly.

"You no longer have a choice," the green haired one said. "You can come with us willingly or we can force you."

"You're the black dragon that Kitali mentioned," Zharn said quietly, but Grogg still heard and spat soup over all three of them and started to stand. Vethsera grabbed his arm keeping him from standing. "What's happened that made you come here?" he said wiping soup from his face and beard.

"It's the jedi," Kuro answered. "He…needs your help. Kitali sent us here to retrieve you both and get you back to the fortress so that you can help with saving Daneel."

Zharn stood. "Coming here as orcs is smart, but you will only partially pass as real ones." Both dragons cocked their heads at him. "You're too thin for one thing, and your blue eyes are extremely rare." Both nodded in understanding. Neither dragon had tried to use the form of an orc before. "Still…you are passable enough that we can use the portal to Orgrimmar and then catch a zeppelin to Warsong Hold."

"Hey…I said…"Grogg started and then slumped forward into his soup. Kuro lifted the orc's head and moved the bowl to the side. Vethsera smiled still holding his arm.

"Neat trick," Zharn said with a smile. He walked over and picked up the slumbering Grogg hoisting him into a fireman's carry. "How long will he be out?"

"Long enough for us to get to Northrend," Vethsera answered. "Like you said…once back in Azeroth we'll portal to the Borean Tundra and then fly the rest of the way. A zeppelin from Orgrimmar will take too long. Daneel's condition could be worsening the longer we delay. As for that one…he'll waken probably in mid-flight from the tundra to the fortress."

"Worsening?" Zharn asked.

"He is struggling against at least one Old God or even more," Kuro stated as she joined Vethsera standing beside the shaman. "We mustn't delay."

"Then lead the way."

As they left the tavern the comedian never stopped his act, the other patrons seemed to have completely ignored the slight ruckus of the four orcs, and Haris Pilton was heard saying, "Orcs never can hold their liquor…psshh."

* * *

Demira cupped Daneel's head with her right arm as her fingers ran through his hair. Her left hand held his as she sat in a chair whispering to him. Behind her with her arms crossed and leaning against the doorway was her closest friend. Kitali could not hear what her friend was saying, but she knew the pain the elf felt. When Zharn was wounded by Selene she sat by the orc's side just as Demira did now next to the jedi. What was it about their men that made them so willing to sacrifice themselves to save others and leave her and Demira behind to suffer in the agony of seeing the men they loved fighting for their lives. Demira looked down with tear-stained cheeks at the jedi's collar and used her left hand to smooth out a wrinkle. The draenei closed her eyes fighting back her own tears. At her waist there was a beeping. Demira acted as if she didn't hear it as her left hand again held the jedi's and she continued whispering to him. Taking a deep breath, Kitali left the room and walked down the hallway past a couple of rooms before answering the holocommunicator. She wiped a tear from her right eye as the device began to form the image of the one calling her. She didn't want whoever it was to see her cry…not at a critical moment like this. She was essentially the leader right now and the others needed her to be strong…but it was so difficult. The image solidified to show Zharn on the back of a dragon. Finally something good, and her heart lightened at seeing her husband.

"Hi, hon," he said as he rocked back and forth with the movement of the dragon he was riding. "We've left Warsong Hold and should there in about four hours." She swallowed to keep her voice from breaking and nodded to him. His image smiled at her. "I know, hon…I know. You just hang in there and I'll be there with you soon." She smiled as a tear fell from her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said as her voice broke.

The image faded. She sighed as she deactivated the device and placed it back in her pouch at her waist. Behind her she heard running steps and turned to see Celeste turn into Daneel's room. Following her was Alexstrasza. Another tear fell down her cheek and she wiped her eyes and then tugged her robes around her crossing her arms around her midsection. The former Aspect walked up to her and smiled.

"Your heart is breaking as much as hers is," the dragon said quietly when she was next to Kitali. The shaman looked past her to the jedi's room. Alexstrasza touched Kitali's shoulder, and the shaman looked into her eyes. "He has touched many lives profoundly, and he is your friend as is she. It is only natural to worry while he struggles."

Kitali took a deep breath and then licked her dry lips. "I have to be strong for her, though," she said as she sniffed back tears. "When Zharn was hurt…she was there for me…they both were." She looked back at the room. "I knew that woman was going to kill him…before Daneel arrived and saved him. Selene. She stared at me with this look of pure evil as she stood over Zharn with that lightsaber. She was going to kill him and I was helpless to stop her." She looked back at the dragon. "But Daneel saved him. I was so happy to have him alive and in my arms…to still have him sleep in my bed…and I owe all of that to Daneel." She looked up at the ceiling and wiped her eyes again. "You know…it was he that convinced me to reveal who I really was to Zharn. When I first met him…Zharn…I was an alliance spy in disguise as a pandaren. I was still in disguise when I met Daneel even though I had stopped spying by then. I fell in love with Zharn…and Daneel convinced me that he would love me no matter what I was…whether I was a pandaren or a draenei…so I listened to him…" she looked back at the dragon. " And he was right…Zharn still loved me even as I really am…a draenei."

"He is a very wise and insightful man," Alexstrasza said smiling. "And I think that Demira would be better served if she saw you like this. I know you two are very close. She doesn't need someone who is strong…she needs one who knows what she is going through and understands her pain…she needs you as you are now….feeling as you do now…show her…that is what she needs most." Kitali choked back tears and smiled as she nodded. Alexstrasza stepped to the side allowing the draenei to pass. "Go…and be there for her."

Kitali took a step past the dragon and then stopped. She looked at the Life Binder. "Thank you…for helping me understand," she said.

Alexstrasza smiled. "I too also know what it is like to lose a loved one…one very close to my heart. And it took the wisdom of a single man to help me heal and grieve."

"Who was he? This wise man?" Kitali asked.

"Go'el. I think you know him," she replied smiling. Kitali nodded and turned back to join Demira and Celeste at Daneel's side. Part of her wished that Thrall was here now with his strength and wisdom. If he could help one like Alexstrasza when she was pained the most, then they could use him now that Daneel fought for his life against perhaps the strongest foe in all of Azeroth.

The Avatar ran across the frozen plain towards the mountain ridge. The Force enhanced his speed and he would reach the mountain his master had shown him within the next couple of hours. Behind him in the distance rose a plume of smoke from the wreckage of the ship. Winds that he powered with the dark side sped the vessel to the northern coast of this continent. The bow was shedding parts of the hull as they travelled much faster than the ship was ever designed for and crewmen worked frantically bailing water. Some also tried to lower the sails, but as they did they were suddenly hurled over the side of the ship as if a hand of a god swept down and tossed them to the sea. During the whole trip, which took only hours, the Avatar never left his place near the helm. As the ship rocked with its incredible speed, men and women were tossed around like children on a merry-go-round, but he stood straight and firm never seeming to move even the slightest inch. When they reached the shore the front hull shattered. The Avatar then slaughtered everyone onboard leaving no survivors. A feral smile crossed his lips when he slew the captain. His dying words were, "She had the greatest tits." Now in the distance he could see his destination. Soon he would kill the girl and free his master. Soon he would face the jedi and have his vengeance.

* * *

Illiana sat before a mirror while Raeva brushed her long black hair. The cuts and bruises on the mother's face were healing, but seeing her in the mirror and the damage done to her beautiful face made Illiana wince. She wore the barmaid's outfit she wore when she first met her mother, and Raeva wore the same outfit she also wore that day. Their black bodysuits were ripped and torn and these were the only clothes they had which they had left here just before Illiana fled for the Sunwell. When Raeva first came searching for her daughter many of the rooms were locked. Surprisingly the gnome had figured how to unlock them and it was one of those they occupied now. The pleasant discovery was that while the unlocked rooms were empty, the locked ones were fully furnished from when people actually live here. While they were still prisoners in this place they were not kept under lock and key. They could move freely about the fortress, but a dragon guarded the lift to the outside and another at the lift to the lower levels where all the machinery and droids were.

"Mother?" Illiana asked as she looked into the eyes of Raeva's reflection. "I've done horrible things…haven't I?"

How should she answer? The draenei had told her what happened to Illiana and about the voice of an Old God that influenced her actions. It definitely explained the madness in her daughter since they met back at Valiance Keep. Now she had huge gaps in her memory and acted more like a frightened and confused adolescent than the power hungry woman from before. Could she handle the truth if Raeva told it to her?

"You're silence tells me I have," Illiana said looking down in shame. "Why can't I remember?"

"You were controlled by a very powerful being," Raeva answered. Perhaps the truth was what would be best. At least she would be with her daughter now to help her through this transition. "It made you do things…"

Illiana shook her head causing Raeva to drop the brush to the floor. "No…I remember…I remember Drakus said that no one person could make another do anything against their will. Manipulate, yes…but not outright control them." She turned in her chair to face her mother. "If I did horrible things to people then part of me must have wanted to do those things which means I am a horrible person. Maybe that is why I don't remember."

Raeva knelt before her daughter and held her shoulders while looking into her eyes. "You are not a horrible person."

"But Drakus…"

"Lied and tricked you," Raeva said. "He tortured you and meant to use you for something that was never what you wanted. He twisted you into something you are not and that is why I believe you do not remember."

Illiana looked down at her chest and traced the scar in her cleavage with her left hand. "And this? Did he also do this to me?" Raeva closed her eyes. "And that voice in my mind…I do remember some of it…it wants me dead…dead so that thing below can free it from some prison. And this thing inside me is the key." She looked back up at her mother with sad blue eyes. "Why me, mama? Why_ me_? What did _I_ do to warrant this? Why can't _I_ remember why _I _am the one they did this to? Why do they want _me_ to die?"

Raeva reached up and pulled Illiana into an embrace. "I don't know why, sweetie. I don't know why."

Outside in the hallway Adaria turned and walked away from the room. She had come here to apologize to the mother for what she had done. Like the girl she had also been influenced by the Old God's voice, but unlike her Adaria remembered everything. She knew why she tortured the old elf and wanted to kill the daughter. The voice had manipulated her, but that did not diminish her guilt. After Daneel had freed her mind from that nightmare now she lived one of shame. In a way she envied the girl back in that room because she didn't remember.

* * *

Celeste walked into the main throne chamber where the body of the old sith still sat. With all that had happened no one had bothered to dispose of the corpse and because there was no longer any smell she figured most had forgotten it was even here. She walked up to stand before it and looked up at the drooping head. So this was one of her ancestors? Like the statues that lined the hallways adjacent to this room it wore robes and armoring that was more style than function…something meant to drive fear into their opponents. She looked down at her own attire. Her green mini jacket she wore open over a green top that she tied in a knot between her breasts. The matching miniskirt only went to her mid-thigh and the calf-high boots she only wore because they matched the skirt and jacket. Her toned abdomen was bare as were her legs. She looked back up at the clothing of the corpse. Like her ancestors she wore robes and clothing that was more for style than function. Her master wore simple brown robes most of the time, and perhaps that was another lesson she was just now beginning to learn. She was proud of her body and delighted in showing it off to all who saw her. But now as she looked at this dead sith and thought about her master back in that room lying unconscious and the deeds of both men she realized that she was emulating the wrong one. Alexstrasza, Ysera, Tyrande, even Shandris…none of them cared about seeing how visually strong Daneel was nor how flashy his attire. They respected him because of what he did and how he did it…not how he looked while doing such deeds. Modesty and humility…traits he embodied…and perhaps now it was time she started to do the same.

"Are you okay, Celeste?" she heard from behind her.

She turned to see Kitali walking towards her. Even this woman wore white robes styled like her master. She had seen the woman sometimes wear a top under the robes that left her midriff bare as did Demira, but not all of the time as she realized she had since becoming a padawan. She turned back to look at the corpse sitting in its throne.

"Just came up here to do some thinking," she replied. "You know that this man's race is part of my ancestry?" She turned back to look at Kitali. "I feel so under dressed right now."

The draenei stopped at cocked her head to the side. "Under dressed? What brought this on?"

Celeste nodded towards the corpse. "They wore robes, clothing, armoring, or whatever to instill fear in those they meant to rule or those that opposed them."

"That is how they still are according to Daneel."

"So what does this say about me?" she asked tugging on her jacket. "Am I too vain? Vanity is not a trait of a jedi."

Kitali smiled at the padawan. "There is nothing wrong with liking how you look. Sometimes it's nice to show off a little. Be proud of who you are and how you look. I, myself, like to show off my fabulous abs from time to time."

"I know," Celeste said. "But you don't do it all of the time. Clothing like this is all I wear." She turned back to look at the corpse. "They wore their lust for power for all to see. I think…I think that maybe I also wear my vanity for all to see. In that I am just like my ancestors." She turned back to look at the draenei and squared her shoulders. "But no longer for I am a jedi. From now on I will also dress like a jedi and not a sith."

Kitali walked over and placed her hand on Celeste's stomach. The padawan looked down then back up at her face. "Don't be afraid to show-off this fabulous feature from time to time. A girl does have a right to flaunt on occasion."

"Just not all of the time," Celeste grinned. The shaman winked back.

A loud crash coming from one of the outer corridors caught their attention and they both looked in the direction where the lift to the outside was located. Another crash was followed by screams. They ran in the direction of what sounded like a conflict, and Celeste pulled her saberstaff from her belt. Had the girl or Adaria fallen back under the Old God's control? Had Daneel failed in shielding them? Cielstrasza had joined them the previous day and was guarding the main lift outside and it was her screams they were certain they heard. Passing another ring of hallways they met with Alexstrasza who had also heard the commotion. They approached the corridor with the lift when Cielstrasza flew past the junction. Her body was smoking and her screams filled the room. The three women tensed as they entered the hallway and looked in the direction of the lift. Standing sideways to them by the lift's doorway was a rail-thin man wearing hooded black robes. He turned towards them nonchalantly. They could see the pale white skin of his neck and lower face. A white pointed goatee covered his chin and veins webbed his face around his mouth and up his exposed cheeks. The hood obscured his eyes.

"Where is the elven girl," he asked them with a raspy voice.

"She is safe," Kitali answered.

"Not from me," he replied raising his hands.

Bolts of purple Force lightning sprouted from his fingertips towards them. The women jumped to the sides avoiding the attack that impacted the wall where the hallway curved. Chunks of stone and plasteel exploded where the lighting struck.

"Where is the girl?" He lowered his arms to his sides. Purple energies danced along his fingers and up his arms. "Where?" Before him a ring of purple energy appeared and lightning danced inside it. "Tell me where she is!"

Celeste, Kitali, and Alexstrasza scrambled to their feet and towards the hallway they just came from. The man pushed his arms through the ring and a ball of lighting and energy flew down the hallway. They ducked down their previous corridor just as it passed them. Celeste could feel the energy tingle the hairs on her arms. A large explosion shook the entire fortress. She looked back to where the ball had flown past them, and the corridor had collapsed. She ducked back as another lightning bolt struck the corner just missing her head showering her with pebbles and dust. She coughed as she looked at the other two women and pointed. They all ran back towards the main throne room. As they ran Celeste peeked over her shoulder to see the man turn the far corner to follow them. Purple lightning and energies still danced along his hands and arms which hung to his sides as he stalked them. When they reached the throne room, Adaria, Raeva, and Illiana were standing together on the far side. The explosion had attracted their attention.

"Get her out of here!" Kitali screamed as she pointed at Illiana. "Get out now!"

The three just stood there in shock. Kitali and Alexstrasza kept running towards them passing the old throne. Celeste stopped just on the far of it and looked back from where they came. The man still walked towards them with his hood still obscuring most of his face. She thought he might be human or maybe elven judging by his chin and mouth. He entered the room and spied the three elves on the far side. A feral smile crossed the man's lips. Celeste crouched trying to anticipate what he was about to do. The hilt of her saberstaff she held in front of her. Just then from their right Tariolstrasz and Ysera emerged from another corridor. The man looked in their direction and raised his left arm. Lightning jolted from his hands at Ysera. Tariolstrasz pushed the former Aspect to the side and received the full power of the attack. His body writhed as bolts of lightning coursed up and down his body. Alexstrasza screamed behind her, and Celeste activated the blades of her weapon. She jumped at the attacker and raised the blades above her head. He ceased his attack on Tariolstrasz at just the last second to sidestep Celeste as she buried one of the blades deep into the floor where was standing. Without stopping she pivoted on her heel and swung the saberstaff at the thin man. He jumped high over it to land some ten feet away from her. Celeste completed her turn and stood facing him with the saberstaff held in her right hand.

"A jedi," the man snarled. He raised his arms to his sides. "But not the one I was promised."

"Get out of there, Celeste," Kitali yelled.

The draenei pulled on Illiana trying to get her out of the room. Raeva stood between her daughter and the thin man while Adaria and Alexstrasza raced to Tariolstrasz and Ysera. His body was smoking much like Cielstrasza's was and Ysera was lying unconscious on the floor…knocked out by the impact of the red's push and where her head had struck the wall. The purple lightning and energies intensified along his arms as he lifted two feet into the air. Suddenly bolts of lighting filled the entire room between the floor and the ceiling. Alexstrasza and Adaria just managed to pull Ysera and Tariolstrasz through the doorway as the attack sprouted in the room. Kitali kept pulling on Illiana, but Raeva was not so lucky. A bolt of lighting struck her right shoulder and she screamed in pain. Celeste jumped from side to side avoiding the bolts striking around her…the Force allowing her to sense each one and avoid it just in time. Another bolt struck the throne with the corpse. The body exploded into dust and bits of bone while the stone chair shattered raining rocks and dust that mixed with the debris of the corpse. Celeste coughed and jumped to her left just as the man leapt at her. The crimson blade of his lightsaber swung through the space she had just occupied.

He stood up straight and turned to face the padawan. His lightsaber pointed to the ground in his right hand. Celeste squared her shoulders and crouched facing him with her saberstaff held in both hands before her. He raised his head to look up past her and at Kitali still struggling with Illiana on the far side of the room. Raeva lay on the floor in front of them and the girl was trying to reach her mother. And for the first time Celeste could see the face of their attacker. He looked old…older than any human she had ever met. His eyes were red like a sith with deep dark circles around them, and the veins webbed all over his face. He glowered at Illiana and Kitali and then back at Celeste.

"Kill the girl and I promise you a quick death," he growled. "Her death is inevitable. My master wills it and it shall be done."

"Nothing is inevitable," Celeste answered shifting her feet.

"What N'Zoth desires is always inevitable," he said as he threw his lightsaber at her. She raised her saberstaff to block his throw and succeeded, but while he had done that, with his other hand he unleashed a barrage of Force lightning at Illiana. Kitali spun the girl and threw her to the ground, but she received the full brunt of the lightning. She writhed in agony and screamed out. Celeste looked back in her direction in horror as the purple lighting coursed along her body. The old man laughed as he brought his other hand up and more lighting poured into Kitali. Celeste jumped at him and he sidestepped causing her to miss him completely. But it was enough…just enough…for him to cease his barrage on the draenei. She slumped to the floor. The old man turned back to face the far end. Only Illiana remained standing. "There is no one left to save you, child," he said as he raised his hands.

"Who the fuck are you?" a voice boomed filling the room. The man turned his head just as two green meaty hands wrapped around his throat. His eyes bulged and he shot bolts of Force lightning into his attacker, but Zharn tightened his grip and shook off the energy the old man poured into him. "What have you done to my wife?" he yelled. He lifted the man two feet into the air. Gloved fists pounded at the orc's hands and the old man tried to kick him, but Zharn held him firmly and continued to tighten his grip. "No one harms my wife and lives…do you hear me…no one!" he screamed into the old man's face.

Celeste heard the crack of bones as the orc snapped the neck of the assailant. Zharn lowered his gaze to Kitali lying on the floor, and with a toss the man flew into the wall behind Celeste like a rag doll. Zharn ran across to his wife and knelt beside her holding her head gently in hands that had just crushed the life out her attacker. His angry grimace washed away to the one Celeste was used to seeing…warm, caring, and compassionate.

"Kit," he said quietly in contrast to the booming voice he had just used against the old man. "Can you hear me, baby?"

She moaned and opened her eyes a little. "Zharn?"

"I'm here, baby," he said as he caressed her cheek. Scorch marks were scattered on her robes, but otherwise she appeared unhurt.

"We'll have to change our deal. You get a solid month of me any way you want me," she said trying to smile.

"Deal," he said as he brought his forehead to hers.

Illiana maneuvered past the couple to reach her mother. Raeva sat up and coughed as her daughter approached. She smiled to Illiana and hugged her as she knelt down beside her. Celeste surveyed the rest of the room. Alexstrasza and Adaria were tending to Tariolstrasz and Ysera respectively. Both were awake and appeared they would recover. She took a deep breath and looked back where Zharn had come from. Standing in that door way was Vethsera with a strange orc standing beside her. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaped…speechless. Vethsera looked at the padawan and smiled giving her a thumbs up. Walking up behind them was Kuro with Cielstrasza whose arm was around the black's shoulder and limping. "Ouch," she said as they entered the main throne room. Despite the destruction and the power unleashed by the old man, everyone was alive…battered and bruised…but alive. And in another room Daneel squeezed Demira's hand.


	15. The Expected and the Unexpected

**_Part Fourteen: The Expected and the Unexpected_**

"I knew you would save me," Daneel said weakly to Demira as he raised his right hand to touch her cheek. "And I can ask for nothing better to return to than your face." She giggled through tears and kissed him. When their lips parted she continued smiling at him with tears running down her cheeks only now they were tears of joy. "Ok…maybe if you were riding my cock screaming my name in ecstasy…that might be better," he said trying to smile.

"Ha ha," she chuckled joyously. "I'll try to remember that next time." She put her forehead to his. "Don't do that to me again," she said seriously while still smiling.

"I don't plan to," he replied and then gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be ok. The others right now need your help."

Demira furrowed her brow. "I am not leaving you," she answered.

"I'm alright. They need you now, though." She raised her head and looked at him. "I cannot explain it, but I was able to see their entire struggle with the one I was shielding the two women from. Demira…Kitali is hurt."

She looked at the door and just noticed how smoky the hallway was. She had not heard sounds of conflict, but she also was so intent on Daneel that the roof could have caved in and she wouldn't have known it. She looked worriedly back at her husband.

"Go…I'll be fine."

She closed her eyes and nodded as she squeezed his hand before leaving the room. Daneel rested his hands on his chest and took a deep breath. The whole ordeal had been one continuous struggle. After he used the technique on Adaria he waged a battle of wills against the other being outside of his body in the greater realm of the Force. Never could he see his face…just a feeling of anger aimed at him for blocking its control over the two women. Time and again it tried to break through Daneel's barrier. Time and again the jedi countered. His opponent was strong in the dark side, but was only a fraction of the power he could sense wielded against him. The being he battled was but a facsimile of the awesome terror behind it. In the beginning their struggle was clear for Daneel. If he could describe it, the best he could say was that it was like battling in the field during the midday sun. But soon their conflict grew hazy and almost stormy. Daneel could sense that it was moving in the physical world, and as much as he wanted to warn his friends and compatriots he was powerless to do so. One minor misstep and the other would win their struggle and regain hold of one or both women. The jedi simply could not allow that to happen, so he battled while knowing in the physical realm his companions could be facing imminent danger, but he had faith in their abilities to defeat whatever danger approached them.

It was when the being came to this place that his struggle had become clearer…like seeing out of his opponent's eyes. Force Shielding against Terrak Morrhage was nothing like this. He never felt Morrhage or even knew who he was shielding others against until he physically faced Parkanus Tark, who was possessed by Morrhage's ghost, but he also never lost consciousness as he had this time. Morrhage simply was not near as powerful a foe as he faced this time. He could feel the other's anger as each of his companions faced him. And then there was the sense of imminent satisfaction as he saw Illiana all alone with nothing between them. He felt the pressure of Zharn's hands around his neck and the deep fear of failure just before death. During that whole time watching through the other's eyes at his attacks upon the jedi's friends, Daneel sensed another presence there also watching as he did. Daneel remembered Revan describing looking into the eyes of the sith emperor. Remembered how he said that looking into that man's eyes was like looking into the abyss of oblivion. The presence with Daneel felt the same…oblivion. It was a bottomless pit of rage and hatred with an unquenchable thirst for destruction. As the other died in Zharn's hands…as his necked was crushed in the orc's vise-like grip…the presence lashed out in furious anger…and pushed Daneel back into himself.

Back in his own body, Daneel stretched out with the Force and no longer felt his opponent. The attacks upon his shield guarding Illiana and Adaria had ceased, and so he relinquished his protection over their minds knowing they were safe for the moment. But lingering in the distance…as he had no better way to describe it as it was close and yet distant…lurking…was the abyss of darkness. It was the source of the power behind the control over the women, and the opponent was simply a link in a chain between the presence and them. When Zharn slew the opponent, the link was severed and the chain broken. Daneel…with the tremendous help of his friends and compatriots…had won at least this part of the battle, but the war was not yet over.

* * *

Windi poked her head through the access portal of the drill. She held up a freehand sketch of what looked like a set of knobs and switches and underneath she had scribbled symbols for each. Grogg scratched his scruffy beard as he examined the gnome's drawing. They had been working together the past two days since the attack of the strange man in black robes. While the gnome could move freely and with plenty of space within the machine, Grogg could barely fit his head into the opening let alone the rest of his body. Their worked consisted of just such exchanges that were happening between them now. Windi would sketch what she found inside and the orc would translate her scribbling. While they worked the rest recuperated from the attack. Daneel meditated in the upper levels of the fortress as he recovered from his ordeal. Kitali, Tariolstrasz, and Cielstrasza all had healed from their wounds, and even Raeva's shoulder was mending. The single bolt that struck her was more devastating, surprisingly, than the full out lightning blasts the others had received. Despite the respite of the past two days tensions remained high as all expected another attack on the fortress, and the safety of Illiana was especially paramount while Windi and Grogg deciphered the controls to the drill.

Celeste looked out over the drill and its connecting machinery as the lift lowered to the lowest level. She wrapped her jedi robes…in the traditional style like Daneel wore most of the time…around her body. This place still felt very cold to her as the presence of the dark side was very strong. Daneel had told her the previous day that places strong with the dark side felt cold to most Force sensitives attuned to the light. As the lift descended she thought back to that earlier conversation. He had told her that she was no longer his padawan, and that after recent events and what she had accomplished she had surpassed any trials he could conceive and was now a jedi knight. She tried to protest at first saying she had failed in stopping Illiana when they first met and then needed the assistance of others against the old human, but he only smiled at her.

"A jedi knows when and how to act and when to accept the help of others. You acted wisely in trying to avoid harming Illiana when you first met and dueled. That is the mark of a jedi cognizant of the greater good and the importance of her survival over her defeat. While her escape at the time was unfortunate, you acted with the understanding of the consequences should she perish. And there will always be times when events unfold that a jedi cannot face alone. Knowing that and accepting the help of others when needed is also the mark of a fully trained jedi and not an apprentice seeking glory or approval. You, Celeste, are no longer my padawan. You are a jedi knight, and there is little more that I can teach you."

She smiled to herself as the lift stopped even with the flooring of the level housing the drill. As she thought about what Daneel had said to her, she reflected on what she thought were her failures and realized the truth and wisdom in what he had said to her. She was a jedi…and she was ready to face new challenges. Looking across the large room she saw her next challenge as suggested by her former master. Standing near the drill and watching the gnome and orc was Illiana. She wore her hair straight over loose fitting dark red robes with light purple highlights along the edges and piping. They were of sith design like those on the statues up by the main throne room and were probably left in the room she shared with her mother. Or they may have been her old clothes left behind from when she lived here and trained under the old sith named Drakus. Celeste exited the lift and walked the distance across the floor to where the elf stood with her left arm across her waist and her right hand tracing the scar on her chest. As the former padawan approached she noticed that Illiana pursed her lips as she stared at the drill. Celeste stopped next to her and looked up at the monstrous machine that could still wreak havoc on the world. The elf's eyes diverted to the human for a second then resumed their stare on the drill.

"How's your mother?" Celeste asked after a moment of silence.

"She's doing well," Illiana answered. "There are times her arm goes numb, but those happen less frequently now. And the bruises on her face and arms are clearing up. She's mostly just happy that we survived."

"And how are you holding up?"

The elf looked over at Celeste, and she noticed that Illiana traced the scar with her finger a little more slowly than before when she first approached. "I'm….struggling." She looked back up at the drill. "Once that man was killed I began to remember…things."

"How much do you remember?" Celeste asked.

"I remember everything," was the answer. "I remember doing things…horrible things. I killed and plotted…I was going to harm an entire race of people for some aspiration that I am not sure now is even possible. Mother tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen." She looked back down at the human. Where Celeste stood at five foot two inches, Illiana was at least a half a foot taller. "There are memories I have that are great. Like finding my mother and discovering she missed me and was trying to find me. And then there are others…dark memories…it's like I'm looking through someone else's eyes during those…and I remember screaming at myself to stop what I was doing but I didn't stop. I know that sounds crazy, but it's the best way I can describe it. Like one long nightmare I could never wake from."

"It doesn't sound crazy to me," Celeste said shaking her head. "Those times I think were when that man who attacked us possessed his strongest hold on you. It weakened in times when you were happiest…times when you were focused on things of the light and not the darkness."

Illiana continued to look up at the drill. "But on some level I wanted those dark things. I remember there were medical droids here. I used them to put this thing in my chest and then destroyed them when the work was done so that Drakus could not remove it. I remember the voice urging me when I was initially reluctant, but somewhere deep inside I wanted what it told me to do…wanted that sense of overwhelming power." She looked down at Celeste. "That man could not make me do things…he could only spark those that at some level I wanted. I am a dark person…and he used that part of me…and I allowed it to happen." She looked back at the drill. "It's my father's blood that is my curse. Drakus told me that all sith used the dark side of the Force and because I am half sith, I too would learn to use and wield it as they did."

"Sith blood also runs in my veins," Celeste said cocking her head to the side as she looked up at the elf. A wry smile crossed her lips. "Does that also make me a dark person?" Illiana looked down at her. "And Drakus was only partially correct. Not all sith use the dark side of the Force. My former master knew of a sith who served the light and was a great jedi master." Illiana shook her head in denial. "It's true. His name was Praven, and he served a dark lord. He faced a jedi in battle because he felt obligated by honor to do so, but he took no pleasure in it. The jedi won their battle, and he offered Praven a place within the jedi order. Praven was hesitant at first fearing a trick, but eventually accepted his opponent's offer. Once amongst the jedi, Praven realized that he felt more at peace with the light side of the Force. It was much easier to uphold his beliefs of honor and duty serving the light than he ever had serving the dark."

"But that is only one man," Illiana countered. "And my heart is dark. I know this. That old man could not have gotten me to do the things I did if I was otherwise."

"All living beings hold both light and dark," Celeste said. "I wore clothing to show off my body because I was vain and wanted everyone to see how I looked. I have learned that I can suppress those feelings." She looked over at the gnome and orc talking. "That man over there…the orc. Many people believed his race were savage brutes bent on war and destruction. Yet one of this world's greatest heroes and savior many times over is of that race. Do you think that he is pure and holds no dark thoughts? Do you imagine that Thrall has not committed acts he regrets?" She looked back at Illiana. "He is simply a man as you are simply a woman. He chose to follow a light path and works towards the good of the entire planet. Like Praven. And I think I can help you walk the same path…if you are willing."

The elf looked up at the drill then back at Celeste. She was silent for a moment as the jedi watched her. "What are you asking of me?"

"I am asking you to join us," Celeste replied with a smile.

"Join you?"

"Become my padawan…my apprentice. I will teach you the ways of the jedi and to serve the light. I believe you have inside you a wonderful gift…and I sense in you a desire to use that gift for good…like Thrall…like Praven…and I am willing to teach you how." She turned to face Illiana. "Use what you have done and learn from those mistakes. That man was able to control you because you did not know how to block him…to escape from him. He sought those basest of desires in you that deep down we all possess and he manipulated you into pursuing those desires. He is gone now and so too is his hold over you. Your regrets now are why you struggle…your desire to follow the light while facing those dark things from your past. With that knowledge and experience I am certain you will not let it happen again."

"But what if I do begin to fall again…what if I cannot avoid those dark feelings?" the elf asked as she turned to face the jedi. "What if I am not strong enough to resist?"

"I will be here to help you as will my mentor if that happens, though I doubt it will. One cannot move forward always looking back or remaining content on where you now stand. You must face ahead if you want to grow and learn and find peace."

Illiana laughed. "Just now you sounded like my mother." She looked at the orc and gnome and then back at Celeste, and she was smiling at the jedi. "I like that…and I accept your offer. I will learn from you the ways of the jedi…and I will strive to serve the light."

* * *

Demira stood by a parapet overlooking the mountainside. The sun was setting and it was dusky. Out here in the open air she could think about all that had happened since leaving Eversong Woods until now. This area of the fortress had been used by the druid Adaria, but Ysera had flown the woman back to Darnassus so she could be reunited with her brother. She was free of the mind control, but the nightmares sparked by Thera'gon still haunted her. The best place for her to heal was amongst the night elves, and so Ysera, who was revered by the druids above all other dragons, took the woman home. The absence of the former Aspect would be felt should another attack occur, but both she and Daneel felt it was the right thing to do for the druid, and the mage could not argue with their logic.

Demira felt pensive. The old man was a surprise to everyone. She, along with Daneel, felt certain that Azshara would be the one to come after the girl. The jedi sensed her as a living dark side nexus, but instead the strange man appeared and wreaked so much havoc. And he mentioned a name just before Zharn killed him…N'Zoth. A chill sped up her spine and she shivered while drawing her red robes closer around her body. An Old God was behind what was happening…at least regarding the girl and the drill down below. The mother, Raeva, had told them she was initially part of the plan involving the terentateks and leviathans, but those had gone horribly awry. It was after reuniting with her daughter that she learned that her leader, Thera'gon…who was now also dead like the other named Malfus…had received his commands directly from the naga queen herself. She also told them that Azshara had plans for the girl as well. As the night elves were distracted by the creatures created by Thera'gon, her daughter would taint the Sunwell. They believed that in doing so the blood elves would fall to the ravages of their addictions and Illiana would arrive to show them the Force. It would be like a cure for their ailments and they would see her as their savior and follow her wherever she would lead them. Then with a Force wielding army of sin'dorei she would join with the naga and attack the night elves while they still dealt with Thera'gon's monsters. After their victory Azshara would leave Illiana behind on land to rule while she would remain under the sea. The daughter was meant to be Azshara's puppet solidifying a powerbase on the surface, and then they would lead their armies against the rest of the world's nations one by one. But Illiana had developed her own plans for world domination at the behest of the man's voice manipulating her. She had broken from the old queen which undoubtedly made Azshara extremely angry at the girl and was even now seeking vengeance. As far as Raeva knew…and for that matter Illiana…Azshara never knew of the drill or the dead-man's switch in her chest. Demira hated to think what the naga queen was planning now. Either on her own or in collusion with the Old God, Azshara was a major threat, and both would desire the same thing…the death of the girl. Illiana was still in great peril and until Windi disarmed the drill the fate of the world rested right here at this fortress.

Snow began to fall. Demira watched the flakes with her green eyes. Thinking back to when Shandris Feathermoon first arrived at their home in Eversong Woods and all that had happened up to now, she was glad she joined Daneel when he left for Darnassus. She felt sick when he told her what he had to do to save the girl and the druid and what might happen to him, but at least she was here with him. Had she learned later what had happened…had he not survived such an ordeal…she was not sure she could have forgiven herself for not joining him when he asked her to. And she was there to face Lor'themar when they found the girl attacking the Sunwell. The aftermath of that confrontation they still had to address. The regent was displeased with the turn of events. He wanted to execute Illiana, but after a few hours discussion between him and the couple a compromise was reached…and it meant the loss of their home in Eversong Woods. Alexstrasza already had some of her dragons, along with some of Ysera's, gathering their belongings and bringing them to Wyrmrest Temple. After the drill was disarmed and Illiana was safe they would return to the sith base and remove what they could and then Kuro would use her abilities to bury it…filling the rooms and corridors within like she had the abyss under the drill…forever. Near Wyrmrest Temple they could build a new home and one that would be close to this location so that they could monitor the Titan facility along with the dragons who were also now aware of its existence. Kuro had mentioned this place as a possibility for their new home, but it was Daneel who told her that a dark side nexus was not a feasible place to live and to build a jedi temple. Their order was about to grow and could potentially gain new members over the coming months and years. Celeste was a padawan no longer and she was even now speaking to the elven girl about becoming a jedi apprentice. Daneel still awaited the decision of Kuro, and if she accepted, Demira was certain the red dragon Tariolstrasz would possibly join her. And there was Grogg working below with Windi. He was Force sensitive and could become her husband's next padawan. The jedi's numbers were about to double. Their simple home would no longer suffice as a meeting place. Besides, Demira didn't want to live here because it was cold…very cold…colder than any other place in Northrend. The nexus was the cause for that as well. Kuro, and those not sensitive to the Force, could not feel it but she did as did her husband and his former padawan. Grogg, without any training in the Force, complained about the coldness of the place. Even Alexstrasza mentioned she felt colder at the fortress than the others in their entourage.

The one bright spot in everything that had happened in the past week was that Zharn was completely healed of his back injury. He had also been the one to end the old man's attack by throttling him after the orc witnessed the attack on his wife. Demira knew they were somewhere in the base coordinating defenses while Windi and Grogg worked. The dragons, as great and wise as they were with their many centuries and millennia of experience, were quite content to follow the lead of the jedi. As an order, the mage was proud of what they had accomplished so far, but there was still too much danger to relax now. They must remain focused while the drill was still functional.

"Ahem."

Demira turned to see Kitali standing behind her. She had not even heard the draenei approach. Standing back near the old guard station was Zharn. He was holding his arms behind his back and coyly playing with his foot in the snow. He stole a glance at Demira and then looked down at the ground. She furrowed her brow as she looked at Kitali. The draenei was also acting very coy as she turned her head slightly to the side while keeping her eyes on the mage. She played with her hands by her waist, and Demira had an idea what the shamans wanted.

"Now is not the time," she said to her friend.

"Time for what? How do you know what I was going to say?"

"The bulge in Zharn's breeches is a pretty good indicator," Demira replied. Kitali's eyes widened as she stole a glance back at her spouse. She giggled when she looked back at Demira. "It's just not a good time right now for any distractions. We need to stay focused in case someone else comes here trying to kill the girl. At least until the drill situation is resolved."

"Well…we didn't come here seeking permission," Kitali huffed. "We just wanted to tell you that if you needed us we would be indisposed…for at least the next few hours…maybe the next day. And I was wondering if we could use that…um…sound thingy you have."

"Kit."

"Don't you give me that," the draenei said pointing at Demira. "I have had to give up a lot in the past year because of what happened to Zharn, and now that he is healed I intend to greatly enjoy with him some of the things we used to do before that day."

"Kit."

"Uh-uh…no…I am talking about uninhibited…raw…passionate…sweat until you can't sweat no more…sex. Unbridled…well…maybe a wee little bridle…unadulterated hot fornication that would make even the most hedonistic person blush."

"Kit."

Kitali walked up close to Demira. "We're talking about acrobatic sex here, Demira. You know how long it's been? He can hold me up and fuck me against the wall…bend me over and take me from behind…put my hooves behind my horns…"

"Kit!"

"Alright!" she screamed, and then muttered, "Damnit." She turned around and started skulking back to Zharn.

"Kit."

"What?" she said turning back to glower at Demira and just in time to catch a small device thrown by the mage. She looked down at it and her eyes widened.

"It's the blue switch that turns it on," Demira said with a smile. "Knowing the two of you, you'll make enough noise to wake all of Northrend without that sound dampening device."

Kitali ran back and hugged the mage. "Thanks, hon."

"You two just…have a lot of fun," Demira said with a chuckle. As much as she knew anything could happen at any time, she could not begrudge her friends. Kitali was right, after all, and she would want the same if their roles were reversed.

"Oh…we definitely will," the shaman said as she ran back to her husband. They waved and walked back into the guard station with arms wrapped each others waists.

"Remember to clean that before bringing it back," she shouted at the departing couple. "Kit…I'm serious…clean it off before returning it. Kit?" She watched the area where they had left waiting for an answer. "Kitali?"

* * *

Daneel rode the lift to the lowest level of the Titan facility. After three days in intensive meditation he had regained his strength after battling the old man controlling the minds of Illiana and Adaria. That crisis had passed, but there was still the danger of the drill. Windi and Grogg had now been working on the device for five days almost without breaks and had still come no closer to disarming the drill that threatened the fate of Azeroth and its people. Demira was concerned about this, and rightly so, because as long as it was active Celeste's new padawan was in grievous danger.

Now as the lift slowed to a stop he was ready to see the gnome and ascertain what he could do to help with their problem. He walked across the huge expanse of the level towards the drill that was suspended above what once was a large hole towards the center of the planet. There was a slight indication that the drill had fired as there was a bevel in the hole's top where Kuro had filled it, but no one was present on the level to ask what had happened. Furrowing his brow he returned to where Windi had been using an access hatch into the great machine. He had expected to find at least the orc present, but he was nowhere to be seen. Mechagnomes scurried around the machinery and the drill, but not even the droids of sith origin could be seen. There was a loud clang to his right that was not consistent with the other plethora of noises in the area, and he turned to investigate it. He passed two more large machines before finding Windi perched on top of what looked like an inactive loading chute. She was dangling her legs over the opening and intently watching some conduits and what appeared to be a power junction. He walked up beside her, leaned against the side of the chute, and looked at what drew her attention. Beside her was a small brown bag that she would periodically take something out and put in her mouth.

"I understand you are having trouble with the drill," he said to her. She did not look in his direction. "Is it something to do with the translation?"

"Grogg's been great help with that," she said still staring at the power junction. "The problem is something else entirely."

"What is that?"

"That's what I am about to prove," she said as she placed something in her mouth and chewed. To Daneel it looked like a nut or berry.

"Prove?"

"Every time I think I have found a way to shut down that drill, an hour or two later I come back and what I did has been undone. I thought at first it was the sith droids, so Grogg and I shut them down. But it still kept happening."

"What? What kept happening?" the jedi asked.

Windi held up the bag still not looking at the jedi. "Peanut?"

"Windi…what kept happening?"

"You know…I fired that drill just to see what would happen…and suddenly it turned off. It ran for about an hour and then…poof…it shut down for no reason."

"Windi…that was a very dangerous thing to do. If you had accidentally tripped the dead-man's switch relay…"

"It's not there," the gnome said finally looking at Daneel. "It may have been there at one time, but it's not there any more. Illiana could die right now and that drill will not fire."

"Are you certain?"

"Yep. Been all over it and there is nothing foreign in that machine. Nothing that is not Titan. I even added some things of my own design and within the hour they were gone."

"I don't understand," Daneel said.

"I have a theory," Windi replied. "And any second now I'll know if I am right or wrong." She looked back at the power junction. "Some machines in this place are heavily augmented with sith technology. Machines that run the environmental controls for this place, the lifts, lighting…all those have a lot of sith technology augmented into the system. But a larger number of machines are Titan and nothing else…including that drill. So when I started finding things happening I started messing with some of those machines. And you know what I found?"

"Your additions were removed?" he asked as an answer.

Windi nodded. "We shut the droids down thinking they were the ones doing it, but that was two days ago. I think the mechagnomes are the ones that remove any foreign technology from the majority of the Titan machinery. Those that, for some reason, the Titans felt important and wanted left unmolested. Ah…" she said as she pointed at the power junction. Three mechagnomes were walking towards it. "And here is my proof."

The three diminutive living machines stopped by the junction and began manipulating parts. After a minute they left, and Daneel gaped. It didn't look different to him, but Windi clapped her hands beside him.

"That's it….that's the answer," she said.

"What's the answer? I don't see anything different."

"You wouldn't," she answered. "That junction I didn't add anything to, but I did pull a couple of the wiring harnesses loose so that it would cause a feedback loop."

"You broke it…on purpose? I am shocked, Windi," Daneel teased.

The gnome glared at him. "Hey…sometimes you have to break some things to get something right. And besides….I knew that it would be just the thing to get the mechagnomes over here to investigate. Now I know that they are the ones that have been hindering my progress with the drill."

"So what does all of this mean?" he asked her seriously. "Are you trying to say that it was created to point to the center of the planet and fire…by design?"

"Yeppers," she said with a smile. "The Titans built it that way and the mechagnomes are here to ensure that the original designs are in place at all times. No matter what anyone does to the machinery they return it back to its original specs."

"And the relay that was connected to Illiana's dead-man's switch in her chest?"

"It was probably removed by these guys within hours of her placing it there. And there is no way to keep that drill on and firing unless it was set by the Titans. I can fire it, like I said, for about an hour and then they come and shut it down. The Titans did not mean for it to fire now, just at some time in the future…or when one of them returns and overrides the mechagnomes."

"So is there a way to reprogram the mechagnomes so that we can dismantle that thing?" Daneel asked.

Shock and horror crossed Windi's face. "They are living beings…not droids like the sith machines. You cannot program living creatures!"

"I'm sorry," he said to her. "I didn't realize that they were alive."

"They are and all gnomes were like them at one time in history. The Curse of Flesh changed a lot of us, but they are what we gnomes were meant to be," she answered softening. "So…no…there is nothing to reprogram. They are following the instructions the Titans gave them, and until a Titan tells them otherwise they will continue with their instructions." She looked back where the mechagnomes had walked after repairing the power junction. "The Titans built that drill and pointed it down for some reason we may never understand. As far as we are concerned there is nothing we can do to change that short of killing the mechagnomes….and we are not doing that!"

"No," Daneel said. "We will not harm living sentients."

Windi nodded. "I can imagine those sith centuries ago so frustrated trying to drill for gold…like they could find any that deep," she scoffed. "But starting it then having it shut off every hour repeating that process over and over for years, decades, maybe even centuries. That's some single-minded focus to drill as deep as they did. I wonder if they ever figured out what was really happening."

"Depends on what their goal was when they were doing it," Daneel replied. "But the main thing is that we have little concern about the drill now."

"Nope," she answered. "It's there to stay and isn't a thing we can do to it. I changed the direction it pointed, the power to it, cut power to it completely, removed the entire control assembly…nothing I changed remains. In a matter of hours everything was returned to its original specifications, alignment…whatever. It sits now as it was when it was designed who knows how many millennia ago. It's been like this since the beginning and it will remain that way long after we are gone." She looked at the jedi. "Unless, of course, a Titan shows up and changes it."


	16. The Jedi Order Grows

**_Part Fifteen: The Jedi Order Grows_**

Kuro perched atop the mountain that contained the old Titan fortress. She had spent the past few hours just flying as she gathered her thoughts. Just before she had left for her flight, the jedi master and gnome had gathered them all together to tell them the good news. The drill would not fire long enough to damage the tectonic plates or cause another Cataclysm. Illiana was both shocked and relieved as she received the news. The device in her chest may have worked for a whole hour, maybe two, but now was nothing that posed a threat to the world. No longer would she have to live her life in a figurative cage as everyone around her protected her. Of course, her mother was elated at the news. Kuro felt happy for them. They may have been on opposing sides when all of this began, but now after events had unfolded and news that the Old God N'Zoth had been trying to manipulate everything by controlling the girl through the mysterious old human, Kuro was reminded of what happened when Neltharion had been driven mad by Old Gods and what her flight had done. What her leader forced her to do during those times as he manipulated her thoughts and actions. She, like Illiana, knew the nightmare of looking from inside screaming as her body did what she did not want to. In Illiana she saw a kindred spirit and empathized with her agony over past actions and the prospects of her future.

The former Aspects, Alexstrasza and Ysera, were puzzled by the revelation. Why would the Titans build such a device and for what purpose would they leave it unprotected yet essentially unchangeable? One mystery solved opened questions that could never be answered and created new mysteries. Still unsolved were why this facility was active and the one in the south dead? Had the Titans abandoned it long ago in favor of this one, or had another entity like an Old God figured out how to shut it down? What was the purpose of the dead facility? It housed no drill as this one did and the machinery had been deactivated long ago. Too many questions arose with no answers or where to begin to find them. As a dragon she shared those fears. Their flights had been tasked by the Titans to serve as guardians over Azeroth, and yet a couple, like her, felt like this facility…this drill…was left behind as a failsafe should the dragons fail. _'Fire it, destroy what is left over, and start over from scratch,'_ was the thought that stuck in her mind. It was a thought that did not set well with her or the two former Aspects when she shared it with them. They did not have to tell her, but Kuro knew she only mirrored their own concerns.

Just after that meeting, Daneel had approached her and asked if she had decided on his offer. She answered him honestly…she had been so caught up in what was happening and what they needed to accomplish that she had not thought about it since that day in Astranaar when he first made her the offer. Now that the crisis had been diverted, she needed to give him an answer. He had told her to take some time, and she promised that within a day he would have it. During her flight she had intended to think about what had happened and what it would mean if she joined his order, but she was so caught up in flying in her natural form that she forgot all about what had happened. She existed in the moment of flight as the winds rushed into her face and she felt them lift her wings. While gliding over the Northrend countryside she marveled at how natural flying felt. She wasn't meant to walk on two legs like a human or an orc, but with wings spread on the drafts of air in flight. She lost track of time, though she was certain it had been merely a few hours; but during her flight, time itself seemed to stand still. No worries burdened her mind and for the first time in so many years…more than she could remember…she was at peace. She finally realized that she needed to give the man an answer, and so she landed on the mountain to contemplate what he offered. At the time he had taken a huge risk in trusting her because he did not know her or had been on this world when Deathwing reined terror upon its peoples. Even his wife admitted she disagreed with his decision to offer Kuro a place amongst them. Part of her felt honor bound to join him simply because he trusted in her while others would not. Since then, however, she had achieved some redemption in the eyes of the dragons. She even had a budding romance with the red dragon Tariolstrasz which greatly surprised Kuro. If she joined the jedi would she have to end that relationship? Part of her wanted to see where it would lead. She and the other dragon could find happiness together, but would joining the jedi and his new order preclude her from that? She sighed and rested her head on the edge of the cliff she was perched on. So much had changed in her life in such a short time. She would not change a thing for she had found the redemption she searched for, and before this she never gave much thought on what she would do afterwards. She never expected to find it so soon but only after years or even centuries of trying. Now she had a future to think of...one that was bright and full of potential. She could help in so many ways, and yet she did not want to give up Tariolstrasz either.

Kuro sighed again and looked down at the fortress below. With her keen eyesight she spotted the jedi and his wife on the small courtyard outside the guard station. Kuro watched as they walked hand-in-hand talking and smiling to each other. They climbed the steps to one of the parapets and looked out over the countryside. Daneel pointed to something and then Demira pointed to something else. They laughed and then kissed. Kuro raised her head as she counted the seconds. Their kiss was long and passionate. Their marriage was strong, she surmised, and no matter what happened their union made them stronger as individuals. Such unions might lead a couple to act selfishly, but these two were just the opposite. Daneel endangered himself to protect the two elves knowing full well the risks involved and willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. The mage never argued, never wavered, and she supported her husband's decision. She knew their union was strong because even when they disagreed about her invitation into the jedi Demira stood by her husband's decision despite her misgivings. It showed a great level of trust between them. After a minute these two were still kissing on the parapet. Until this moment Kuro never realized just how close they were, and she knew what she would do…what her future would hold. She knew her answer for the jedi.

* * *

Grogg sat in a chair in the main throne room of the fortress. There was no furniture in this room, so he brought his chair from one of the adjoining rooms that were well furnished. In the middle of the room Celeste and Illiana performed a dangerous dance, and their commotion had attracted the orc's attention. The human wore a halter top that clung tightly to her body, but showed that she had larger than normal breasts for her size and abdominal muscles that visibly flexed with every breath. Her shorts were also tight and stopped just below her buttocks highlighting her toned and sleek legs. The elf wore a full black body suit. While her outfit bared no skin, she was obviously equally as physically fit as her human counterpart. Both women wore their hair in ponytails, and their movements were lightning fast. Each wielded a blunted sword as they dueled in the center. They were utilizing something he heard the others call the force, but he had no notion of what that was except that it looked at times like some sort of magic. The old man attacking the others when he was first brought here he learned had used this same magic with nearly catastrophic results. He asked a few of them what it was, but no one seemed to want to answer him. He even asked the blonde human what this force was, but she only smiled and said he would find out in time…whatever that meant.

He was brought here to help the gnome decipher the writings on the machines below, that much was obvious to him, but why they kept him here was still a mystery to him. Not like he was in any hurry to leave. Everyone here was bustling with anticipation and sometimes anxiety since his arrival, and he could sense that something of great significance was occurring even if he was never told the nature of the danger they were facing. There were also dragons here and even a couple of former Aspects. Dragons rarely involved themselves with the younger races unless events were more serious and threatening to the entire world than simply a war between factions amongst the people…like the war between the Horde and the Alliance. He had never seen one until that day in World's End Tavern, and even then he didn't realize they were dragons until they were flying over Northrend. When he first woke he was fully ready to pounce on the one who knocked him out. That was until he heard the beating of the leathery green wings he saw to both sides from the corners of his eyes. Gulping, he then looked down and saw how far in the air he was and that he was on the back of a green dragon. When he woke up the second time they were at the base of the mountain, and the dragons were gone. Only the other orc, Zharn, was there and two women accompanied him…one human with black hair and a night elf with green hair. He didn't know it then, but he did now, that those two women were the same two he met in the tavern as orcs, and it was the green haired woman that was the same dragon he had ridden.

The elven woman, the one with black hair named Illiana, brought her blade high, but the human ducked low and spun around and behind the elf. In mid-strike she stopped and said something to the elf, and she nodded back in return. Grogg shrugged his shoulders, flung his braided hair from one shoulder to the other, and looked at the floor around him. Most of the debris had been cleaned up from when the old throne had been destroyed, but in a corner where the wall met the floor he spotted a small chuck of rubble. He reached out with his hand and it floated through the air to rest above his palm. He tilted his head as it spun one way and then another.

"Do you know how it is that you can do that?" he heard a voice say behind him.

Grogg turned his head to see the strange human with metal over his eyes. He had yet to speak to this man. All of the others he had talked to if only briefly, but not this man. He was wearing plain brown robes over a lighter shirt and leggings. His hair was white and hung down to his shoulders. They called this man jedi, whatever that was, and it was clear to Grogg that he was the leader here even over the two former dragon Aspects. He looked back at the two women sparring in the center of the room. They had resumed apparently after the human instructed the elf about something. Grogg turned his attention back to the stone without answering the man.

"Do you know why it is that you are here?" the man asked. Grogg sighed and looked back at him. "I mean as to why you are still here? I gather you understand we needed your assistance in translating Titan writing."

"There are hundreds of people that could have done that," the orc replied. "I drew the short straw because I am a nobody, I suppose. I wouldn't be missed."

"There is a greater and far more important reason you are here," the man answered.

"Oh, this ought to be good," Grogg said as he let the rock leave the space above his hand to float back to the corner where he found it. He turned in his chair to face the human. "Ok…I'll bite…why me and not someone like Bran Bronzebeard? He would have been my choice."

"The answer to that lies within the answer to my first question," the jedi answered. "How did you make that rock float above your hand?"

"I don't know," Grogg answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "For as long as I can remember I could do it just by thinking about it. But I'm not a mage. I can't conjure fire or ice or something like that. I can make things float which is nothing special, really. I hear you can buy orbs and other baubles in paces like Dalaran or the Undercity in Lordaeron that do the same thing."

"And do you sometimes see things just before they happen?"

"Yeah…which is why I'm not allowed to play cards during gambling nights at the taverns," Grogg replied. "Don't know that it was anything special either. I'm still not a mage."

"Neither am I," Daneel said as he reached out his hand. Grogg's eyes widened as the rock he left in the corner floated through the air and hovered above the human's hand. "I am guessing that right now you are wondering how I am able to do this." The orc nodded. "I am a jedi and I use the Force."

"People keep using that word, but I have no idea what this _force_ is," Grogg answered as he watched the rock. It rotated slowly over the jedi's hand clockwise, then counter-clockwise. "It looked like some kind of magic to me."

"Many would see it that way," Daneel replied with a smile. "But I can assure you that it is not."

"Then what is it?"

"The Force is the energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, and it binds all things together. Some beings are sensitive to it and use the Force to perform amazing feats. These can seem magical to those that are not sensitive to the Force, but it is not, in essence, magic." Grogg looked up at the human's eyes…or more his eye covering. "Like you, I can sense when things are about to happen. It is a jedi trait."

Grogg looked back down at the rock and then at the human. "Are you saying you think that I am…that I use this…force?"

"I am saying exactly that," Daneel replied. The rock left the space above his hand and like Grogg he returned it to the corner it had come from. "You are sensitive to the Force like I am…and like they are," he said as he pointed with his head to Celeste and Illiana. Grogg followed the jedi's gaze at the two women still moving faster than most could see. "With training you have the potential to be like us, but I cannot force this upon you. You must accept such as I offer using your own free will."

"And if I say I don't want this?" Grogg asked still watching the two women. Again they stopped in mid-movement and the human instructed something else to the elf. The elf nodded back at the human. Then they started sparring again. "If I refuse…what then? Will you just let me leave after all I have seen? All I have learned?"

"If that is your choice, then yes, you will be free to leave."

Grogg continued watching the two women spar. The more he watched it seemed the more he could keep up with their movements. They almost seemed slower, but he knew that was not the case…he just learned how to keep up with them. "If I join you will it always be like that?" he asked pointing at the duel. "I'm not afraid of fighting, but it's not all I want to do. I may be an orc, but sometimes I just like to enjoy a simpler life."

"What kind of simpler life? One consisting of gambling and living off the streets?"

"Nah," the orc answered. "I gambled because it was one of the few things I was really good at, and I don't have to live off the streets. I have plenty of gold stashed from when I was running with pirates. I just live that way so people will think I am destitute. If they don't think I have any gold they won't go looking for it." He looked back at the jedi. "You know what I really like to do in my spare time? I like to read books. That time I was stuck and learned all that Titan stuff was perhaps the best time of my life. Helping that gnome the past few days reminded me of that." He looked back at the two women. "Like anyone would believe an orc just wants to study books like a scholar. Everyone expects us to be fighters, and with the Horde warmongering like it does what are my people doing to prove them wrong?"

"There are many facets to the life of a jedi," Daneel said calmly. "Yes…I would teach you the martial arts as Celeste and Illiana are practicing now. All jedi learn to wield a lightsaber. Our mandate is to serve the Force and protect those in need. But we also strive for peace and maintain balance. We study and learn the ways of the Force and the world around us. We are not monks secluded from the world, but we are protectors out in it and serving as we are needed." Grogg looked at the jedi. "We live by a code. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. I can teach you this code…what it means…and how to live by it…if that is your wish."

"Two humans and an elf? That's all there is of what you call force sensitive? And you think that me…an orc…is also like this? My race is a far cry from that of either human or elf, and we orcs did not originate on this world." Grogg looked back at the jedi and almost fell out of his chair. Daneel had removed his visor and looked out at the pair sparring before looking down at the orc. "Wh-what happened to your eyes?"

"I will correct you, Grogg. The only force sensitives on Azeroth that I know of at this time, with any degree of certainty, are you, those two, my wife, Alexstrasza, and me. But I am not human as you have thought. I come from another world far from here, and my people do not have eyes as you do. I am a miraluka, and my people see through the Force. And where I come from, there are millions of worlds with millions of different races…and all have potential to be Force sensitive. Yet with all those millions of potentials very few actually are. The jedi, where I come from, number only in the thousands amongst a population of trillions."

"And you want me to become one of these jedi? One of you?" Grogg asked.

"It would be a lifelong commitment and meaning changing a great deal about how you think and what you perceive of the world around you. But if you are willing, then I will teach you the ways of the Force and the jedi."

"A lifelong commitment you say?" the orc said as he looked back at the two women. They had finished their sparring session and were now sitting on the floor with their legs crossed, arms on their knees with palms facing upwards, and their eyes were closed. "If I start and then change my mind? What then?"

"Once you begin there is no turning back," Daneel stated bluntly. He had placed his visor back on his head. "I am sorry but it must be that way since we are only on this one world and there are so few of us. If you need some time to make this decision I completely understand."

Grogg said while looking at the two women, "I don't need time. My answer is that I will study under you and learn what you can teach me." He looked back at Daneel. "When I was with the pirates the only way to leave was by death or desertion…and, of course, I was never told that until long after we left port. I survived two ship wrecks where the rest of the crew did not…that's how I got into that Titan place to begin with and learned their writings. The Horde never bothered to keep me or tell me why. Never explained why my parents were banished or what crime they had committed that was so heinous. At least you explain to me outright beforehand what is expected of me, what I would have to accept and even give up before joining you, and what possibilities there are. My life in Shattrath is empty and hollow, and I hold no illusion that it is more. I always knew I had some sort of gift, but there was never anyone who took the time to tell me what that gift was or what I was supposed to do with it. Seeing glimpses of what may come and floating rocks…I always sensed there was something more to my gift than those measly parlor tricks." He looked back at the two women meditating. "I live day to day because there is nothing else for me and no purpose in my life except to simply exist. Coming here may have not been my idea, but from what I have seen since my arrival I can have a life with meaning. I don't know what that meaning will be yet, but at least it's something more than what I have now. A lifelong commitment does not scare me, and at least you are honest in telling me that once I start I cannot stop. I accept that completely. I only have one question, however. Are we still allowed to be with women? You know…like…you know?"

Daneel smiled. "Yes, Grogg. I have a wife that I love very much, if that suffices as an answer for you."

"Good," the orc said with a heavy sigh. "That bit about no passion…that did scare me a little. I'd have had a real struggle if there was a celibacy clause." Then he tilted his head back at the jedi and partly covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, "That human girl looks strong and is very pretty. You think she might…like me?" Daneel laughed.

* * *

A week after the attack by the mysterious man in black robes claiming to act on N'Zoth's behest, the jedi and most of his companions prepared to leave the Titan fortress. The jedi order on Azeroth had grown by four. Kuro returned from her mountaintop sojourn to inform Daneel that she would join the jedi. She did voice her concerns regarding her budding relationship with Tariolstrasz, and the jedi master allayed her fears when he said that she could continue it with no worry of repercussions. He pointed out the fact that Kitali and Zharn both lived near the Maelstrom where they worked with the Earthen Ring when they were not active as jedi. She could continue to live and follow the other dragons with the understanding that when needed she would return to help the order. Alexstrasza had been present during their conversation and offered the black dragon a place with her flight. Daneel had never seen a happier person than Kuro at that moment. Answering the summons for the jedi would be quite simple since many reds would remain at Wyrmrest Temple now that the Titan fortress had been discovered and needed protection. Tariolstrasz had already asked to stay there, and so too could Kuro.

Raeva was healing nicely as few reminders remained outwardly. Her shoulder would still unexpectedly go numb, but Daneel assured her that time would heal that wound. She was Force sensitive much like Demira, but unlike her daughter she was not strong in the Force, at least not enough to learn the jedi arts. However, she was wiser than she realized, and Daneel invited her to join her daughter in the order. She was surprised that both would be asked having once been foes; but, like Celeste had explained to Illiana, Daneel gave Raeva many examples of those fallen to the dark side that had joined the jedi to follow the light. He explained that he sensed that Raeva never truly followed the dark path as Thera'gon and Malfus had, and that in joining them she could follow her true path and one that served the light side of the Force. Hugging the jedi and shedding tears of joy was all the answer she needed to give Daneel.

Grogg and Illiana were in their quarters packing for the trip to Wyrmrest Temple. The two new padawans would stay there until Daneel returned from Darnassus. He would leave with Alexstrasza, Demira, Celeste, Kitali, and Zharn, the day after the rest left the fortress. They needed to meet with Tyrande Whisperwind and Shandris Feathermoon to inform them of what had happened and learn of any news regarding Adaria. The druid's mental state was foremost on the minds of the small council as she seemed the most deeply affected by recent events. Windi was the only member of the order staying at the fortress with a few dragons that would be flying in from other locales. The gnome was completely at home amongst the machines and eager to learn more about her world's lost ancient technology and the mechagnomes who lived there. The dragons joining her were the most technologically inclined amongst their flights, and they were just as eager to learn about the Titan machines as Windi was because there were questions amongst the flights posed by this place that needed answers. The jedi order would work closely with the dragon flights in seeking those answers.

* * *

Daneel stood next to the largest machine in the room adjacent to the drill. Ahead of him Windi was bent over controls that governed the sith droids. She had deactivated them when she was discovering the secret of this place and the drill, and now at his request she was reprogramming them to specifications that would serve the jedi.

"Can they do it?" he asked the gnome. He leaned back against the side of the machine and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I think so," she answered without looking back. Her coveralls were covered with grease smudges and some other sort of lubricant unknown to the jedi. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that swayed back and forth with the movement of her head as she labored over the control console. "Those diagrams you gave me were pretty specific, so as long as I can enter them into their control algorithms then should be no problem at all."

"Now you do know that I want that in the new location once the temple is built? It will be the basis of our libraries."

"Yes…yes…and with some Titan enhancements," she said finally turning to face him with her hands on her hips. Daneel stifled a laugh. She had a huge grease smear across her forehead and more on each cheek. "Your people made some pretty good power systems, but the Titans…even yours pale in comparison to ones they built. This place has been active for millennia and I doubt even your Rakata people knew how to build things that worked for that long."

"You'd be surprised," Daneel replied. "Now these enhancements…the interface will be unchanged…correct? Those specifications have to be precise or what I have planned will not work."

"No changes whatsoever," she said with a grin. "I'm still trying to gather what that interface is for, but I guess I'll find that out when the time comes…right?" Daneel only grinned. "So we'll get the components started up here and move them to the new temple once it's finished. Then we can assembly the whole thing and turn it on…and I'll get to see what the big secret is."

"Then I'll leave you to it and stop bothering you," Daneel said with a smile. Windi grinned back and turned to continue her work. The jedi started to leave when he noticed Alexstrasza standing some distance away observing some of the mechagnomes. He decided to walk over to her and see what she was watching. As he approached she looked at him and gave him a sinister smile.

"So…what is this big secret?" she asked him. He cocked his head to the side causing her to laugh. "Dragon senses are much keener than most mortal races. I heard everything the two of you were talking about."

The jedi chuckled. "Now is not the time to reveal that."

"When will it be time, then?" she inquired. "I have a lot of patience, but in recent weeks I have also developed a keen sense of…curiosity."

"I will tell you everything when we are in Darnassus," he replied with a smile. "It's not that I am trying to hide some deep secret, but I also want to reveal it to your sister and Tyrande at the same time." It was her turn to cock her head to the side. "It will make sense when I tell you, but you will just have to trust me and wait until Darnassus."

"Hoping that my patience outweighs my curiosity?" she asked with mirth.

"I'm counting on it," he replied with a smile.


	17. New Beginnings

**_Part Sixteen: New Beginnings_**

The beauty behind ruling the seas was that many small islands existed that surface dwellers knew nothing about or that they even existed. Some had old ruins like the one where the Avatar had lived, and others were like this one barren and apparently lifeless. Azshara walked in her elven form along the shore to the one artificial structure that existed on this island. It was a small pool much like those scattered throughout Teldrassil with a pedestal on the inland side. On top of that pedestal was a shallow basin filled with clear fresh water, and it was the only fresh water on the island. The night was clear and the moonlight reflected off the pool's water, but not on the fresh water in the basin. Stars sparkled in the sky. The naga queen stopped near the basin and looked down into the water. A white sarong was the only clothing she wore. A light breeze blew causing small waves in the pool, but the water in the basin remained calm and did not reflect her face as she looked into it.

"Despite all of your power, Light of Lights, you will see nothing of what you seek," a male voice said to her side. It was almost ethereal. "I assume you have come here because all you hoped for has not come to pass."

"Can you enlighten me on what went wrong, oh wise one?" she asked still looking into the basin. She moved her silvery hair with her left hand exposing her bare breast. "I would welcome any insight you may have for me."

"Your feminine wiles may work in the land of the living," the voice answered. "But your attempts at seduction have no effect on the dead…queen of the naga." She looked up and glowered at the ghostly form of a kaldorei male as he walked to stand next to the basin. In death much as he must have in life the man wore his dark blue hair braided and slung over his right shoulder. His only clothing was a leather loincloth. He reached out and ran his spectral right hand over the water causing waves to follow his movement. "And the answers you seek you will not like."

"You were the one that told me the time was now for my vengeance," she spat. "I maneuvered my armies off the coast of Ashenvale poised to strike at my command. The girl was set to taint the Sunwell. Even that fool Thera'gon was acting his part in the diversion. Everything was proceeding as planned until that old man interfered."

"You did not listen," the man replied calmly. "I only said that soon the time would come when an ally would present themselves to you. Then the time would be right to move against those who wronged you."

"I just told you…" she yelled with balled fists at her sides.

"You sought them," the ghost interrupted. "I did not say you would find them…I said they would present themselves to you. If you do not understand the difference then there is nothing I can say to enlighten you." He finally looked at her with glowing white orbs. "In your haste you moved too quickly and sought something that was not yet there. And now because of your actions you have delayed further the vengeance you seek. The night elves have another ally…a powerful ally…and they will be expecting you now that you have exposed yourself to them."

"Pull back? Is that what you suggest? My mighty naga have already begun sorties against the kaldorei…looking for weaknesses in their ranks. We know where they are weakest."

"And when you strike with your full force they will call upon their allies and your mighty naga will fall. The seas will turn red with their blood." The ghost looked back into the basin. "Reliance on offworldwers and their offspring may have doomed all you planned."

Azshara turned and looked out at the sea. Her hair billowed in the breeze and she closed her eyes to feel the wind on her face. It was nothing in comparison to the waves of the sea, but in this form it still felt pleasant and was a reminder of what once was. "Some wise oracle you turned out to be. I have waited ten thousand years for this moment, and now you tell I must wait longer." She turned back to look at the ghost. "I grow tired of waiting. What can be done to still achieve victory now?"

"There is nothing that can be done. You stand alone. Attack now and your defeat _is_ inevitable. Withdraw and you can still see your vengeance realized…in time." The ghost looked at her again. "The ally I mentioned has yet to come, but the alliance you sought with the sin'dorei at this time will not occur. The girl's attack on that which they hold most sacred has made them wary. The hold the old man held over her was broken with his doom. N'Zoth, through that old man, no longer has her in his grasp as he once did, and his concerns are no longer your concerns. At one time your goals coincided…your vengeance was a part of his plan for his escape. You have different desires, and now those are so divergent that he will not care what you seek. In time those desires may coincide once again, but for now even he is not available to you while he seeks escape from his prison. Your need for vengeance against the kaldorei no longer helps him achieve his goal." He looked back into the basin. "N'Zoth now boils with anger at his own failing. Certain he was that the device would mean the end of his exile, but the Titans were too wise. Even an Old God could not foresee the failure until a mere mortal discovered the flaw in his plans. He will not make the same mistake again."

"Withdraw and wait…that is what you suggest? The great oracle full of wisdom and knowledge? Able to predict the future since before the Sundering? And all you can tell me is to withdraw and wait?" she turned and fumed.

"As I told you long ago before your highborne began opening a portal for the demon lord…I can only predict a possible future," the ghost answered. "The knowledge I convey is only truth…nothing more. What actions you take with such knowledge and the consequences for those actions are your own." It turned from the basin and began walking away from the naga queen. "Withdraw and wait…or fight now and embrace death. What you do with that knowledge is up to you."

She turned to watch the ghost walk away. "And this ally…how will I know him? And when will he come?"

"In time the ally will come to you," the ghost said as it disappeared. "You will know them when they come."

"In time? When will that be?" she shouted after the ghost was gone, and there was no answer. "How long must I wait?"

* * *

Daneel landed the speeder near the outskirts of Darnassus. Not far from them was their speeder from their home near Eversong Woods. Two sentinels stood guard over the vehicle, and Demira punched the jedi in the arm and smiled as they exited their vehicle. Being as close to nature as they were, Daneel felt the speeder would have been left alone, but Demira was certain they night elves would protect it. Kitali and Zharn only laughed at their friends' little exchange. Not far behind them Alexstrasza landed with Celeste atop her back. Once on the ground the jedi knight jumped down, and then the Life Binder transformed to her elven shape. The dragon queen had wanted to ride in the speeder. She claimed it was because of her recently heightened sense of curiosity that she wanted to experience how the jedi travelled. Daneel promised her that on the return trip to Wyrmrest Temple he would happily satisfy her desire and pilot the speeder himself. They still had some fun, however, during the day-long trip from Northrend to Darnassus, and the dragon was quite surprised to discover that the speeder could keep up with her as they raced through the mountains. Once in the open air, however, she easily outran the flying machine. He had told her before they left that this speeder, and the one remaining in Darnassus, were designed for personal conveyance and so were not as fast as other craft built in his galaxy. He mentioned that many could travel faster than she could hear. Alexstrasza surprised him when she said that she once broke the sound barrier, but that it felt unpleasant being unable to hear what was happening around her so she had never done it again. She rarely saw need to fly faster than the speed of sound. They both shared a laugh at the expressions of their companions. The sound barrier was not something widely known about on Azeroth nor was it known that some dragons could actually fly that fast.

They were met at the entrance to the city by Shandris Feathermoon. As she led them to the Temple of Elune she disclosed that while they were gone the night elves had suffered periodic attacks by the naga along the shorelines of Ashenvale, and it was only that very morning that those had suddenly stopped. She kept their armies on the ready in case the attacks resumed, but hoped that with the success of the jedi and dragons in the north then perhaps Azshara had been thwarted and had withdrawn back to Nazjatar. Daneel agreed with the sentinel general's assessment. Once they entered the Temple, they were greeted by Tyrande Whisperwind and Ysera in the same room where they had first met. Sitting around the table that was furnished with bowls of fruit and goblets of nectar for each person present, the priestess smiled at Zharn and bowed her head to him causing the orc to blush. Kitali giggled at her husband's embarrassment. Demira and Daneel were obviously confused by the exchange, but a wink from the draenei informed them they would hear all about it later. For the next few hours they exchanged information about what had happened in Northrend, Silithus, Ashenvale, and Silvermoon. While the present crisis had been resolved, all agreed that perhaps it had also served as a wake-up call to not only the night elves, but the blood elves and the dragons as well. The kaldorei would examine what had happened to some of their old enemies like Thera'gon and try to ascertain their whereabouts and activities and if any of them posed a threat. The sin'dorei, they were certain, had already enhanced their protection of the Sunwell. Lor'themar and his council would not look lightly upon rumors of attack to it in the future no matter where the information came from. And for the dragons, while Deathwing was gone and no longer a threat, the Old Gods were still actively trying to escape their prisons. Their mandate given by the Titans still applied to them despite the passing of the Hour of Twilight and the Aspects were such no longer. The fact that the old drill was still maintained and unblemished from the Titan's original design led them to the conclusion that Azeroth needed their guardianship while Old Gods still lived in their prisons. If they failed and the Titan's did return, they could end Azeroth as it stood today and start over from a fresh beginning. That would mean the ending of all life on the planet, and Alexstrasza was adamant they could not fail.

Finally they ended their conference and most left the room except Ysera, Alexstrasza, and Tyrande…at Daneel's request. While the three women sat, the jedi stood and walked towards the door and picked up a bag he had left near the entrance. He carried it back and set it atop the table. The three women watched him intently as he reached inside and pulled out a small pale gray cube about six inches long on each side. He set it on the table and withdrew two others from the bag. Alexstrasza leaned forward in her chair as he set these two down next to the first one. He then sat in a chair opposite the women and smiled.

"I have asked you to stay because I have a small favor to ask each of you," he began. "These cubes before you are what my people call noetikons. They hold vast amounts of information, and with your assistance I would like to fill these empty devices with information of this world. It's past, it's present, it's people and their cultures…all that can be gathered I would like to store in these devices…and I would ask your help in doing that."

"So this is the secret?" Alexstrasza asked as she stared at one of the noetikons. "Very impressive. How much knowledge can each of these hold?"

"When my master fell ill near the end of my training, I found the lost noetikons of my old order in search of a cure for her ailment. Together they held the vast knowledge of the jedi order that spanned over twenty-five thousand years and from the entire galaxy. It was through them that I discovered that my master was not stricken with an illness or plague, but was actually under the control of a powerful dark lord. It was through the knowledge stored in the noetikons that I learned the same shielding technique that I used to help Illiana and Adaria." He stood and placed his hands behind his back. "Recent events have led me to believe that the jedi must expand its mandate on Azeroth. Like the dragons we must guard this world not only from otherworldly dangers, but from lost and forgotten ones as well. How many other Titan facilities exist on this world that we are unaware of? How many could be susceptible to a person or persons seeking to use them to gain power over others. This time we were lucky in that the drill was unchangeable and that the danger did not in fact exist. But what if the mechagnomes had malfunctioned or died? What if someone like N'Zoth figured how to change _their_ mandate?"

"Those are concerns of the dragons as well," Ysera stated.

"Your friend, Zharn, told me that Azeroth holds many secrets," Tyrande added. "What you are suggesting may take years, decades, even centuries to uncover those lost Titan secrets."

"That is true," Daneel said as he sat back down. "And that is why I ask your help in creating these noetikons. This crisis saw the jedi order almost double. It might grow larger still as time progresses and we are asked to help in other situations. Make no mistake…we will take no sides in any war that may occur amongst the people of Azeroth like the current conflict between the Alliance and the Horde. We will side with the people of Azeroth…all of its people…against those like Sargeras, the Burning Legion, or the Old Gods. Those types of foes threaten the balance of life here on this world. And there is always the chance that another race from another world could come here…and their intentions may not be peaceful. What we have learned and will continue to learn we can add to the noetikons so that future generations of jedi can use them to help avoid similar crisis in the future…much as I had from the ones in my home galaxy to save my master." He set his hands upon the table. "I know there already exists vast amounts of data and writings in places throughout this world. These noetikons will serve the jedi and also add another library of knowledge so that if one should be destroyed there are others…and the information is saved." He looked down at his hands. "When I first arrived…a man named Maktai asked me to start a jedi order here, but I told him I would not do such a thing. The Cenarion Circle, the Earthen Ring, the Argent Crusade…they already existed and acted in the protection of Azeroth and its people. Maktai was one of those sith brought to this world, you see, and he had changed his ways and lived a simple life amongst the humans. But there were others who had not given up the dark side and planned horrible things. It was after we had resolved their presence in the world…or at least thought we had…that I decided to start the jedi order here as Maktai suggested. But I would not restrict it to Force sensitives as is the case where I came from. This world has so much to offer and so many people willing to help others…and the range of abilities…I decided to change this order to follow the jedi code, and we would remain small and secret. We thought that our purpose would be to find what technologies or teachings those sith may have left behind, and when we came here to help in this crisis that was what we were doing. But now looking back there is much more involved than just protecting the world from sith legacies. There are other legacies that are as much or more a threat to the survival of this world and sometimes they can intertwine as we just experienced. I cannot sit back and watch something terrible happen because it is not sith or strictly alien to this world. If I can help in a crisis that threatens the world…then I will…and so to will the jedi."

"How would anyone know if such a crisis would meet the criteria you would use to assist those in need?" Tyrande asked.

"By using much of the same criteria the dragons use, I suspect," Alexstrasza answered. "We have already begun work together at the fortress in Northrend in an effort to understand why the Titans built it and what might be its purpose. And I foresee a strong relationship between the flights and the jedi order." Ysera nodded in agreement. "I imagine had you approached Daneel for help because of Horde attacks he would have declined."

"I would have, that is true," he added. "Since my arrival I have had no desire to involve myself with either side in the present war except to try and broker a peace between them. But in this most recent crisis, and because the attacks were by creatures unknown to this world and similar to something I had experience with, I did come to investigate and assist as would be needed."

Tyrande nodded her head as she spoke. "I can respect that, and I agree that not taking sides in a conflict like the current one between Alliance and Horde is a prudent decision. But know that you will always share a friendship with the kaldorei and will always be welcome in our domains. You helped us with a situation when you did not have to and discovered its roots that none of us in this room suspected. You stood against…what I believe…was an avatar of an Old God wielding that being's tremendous amount of power and placed your own life in jeopardy to save not only one of my people but also for one we mistook as an enemy. For that I am grateful as well for it has taught me a lesson I learned long ago and had nearly forgotten. You and your friends saw beyond the pettiness of friend or foe and acted to save all those involved that you could. Sometimes I think we forget that those who act against us may not be doing so of their own will but by some act of coercion on the part of another. This Illiana and Kuro the black dragon, both committed horrible crimes, and yet both did so while under another's control. I am not so sure that I would have recognized such until it was too late to save them. But thinking back on our discussion of the jedi code I understand that it is in your nature to see such things…and we are fortunate that you and your order…your friends…act as you do and live by a code that I now understand holds tremendous foresight and wisdom. Your old masters who started your order must have undoubtedly been very great men and women." She looked at the jedi and smiled. "And should you or your order ever need our assistance we shall give it. We will fill this noetikon with all the knowledge we possess. I can think of no greater reward than this, Master Jedi."

* * *

In a distant galaxy on the world of Tython, the ancestral home of the Jedi Order, jedi master Dorak leaned over the railing of the second level of the jedi academy. In the center of the great building hovered a giant replica of a jedi holocron with several smaller ones orbiting it…the Eye of Zallow. On the main level below, training masters and padawans scurried about their business as Dorak watched them from above. As there was little breeze in the academy building, his light gray and gold robes hung loosely over his matching leg and chest plates constructed from a cortosis weave. Cortosis is a substance that is resistant to lightsabers and for melee fighters was a favored armament for many sentinels like Dorak. Lights from the ceiling glinted off of cortosis shoulder and wrist guards worn by the elite lightsaberist. He wore his long auburn hair straight with braids from near each ear that tied in the back keeping his hair from falling into his face. With a sigh he pounded his fist into the railing.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," a pleasant feminine voice said behind him. He did not look back and simply nodded. Kai'moira, jedi sage and master of the healing arts, walked up to the railing to stand beside him on his left side. "Her funeral pyre was only yesterday, Dorak. You must give yourself time to grieve." She turned sideways to the railing and crossed her arms over her chest. The gold bands on her upper arms and the matching piping on her belt shined in the light. Her floor length blue and white dress billowed only slightly in her movement. "The council knows this, I think, much better than you right now. It is simply too soon."

Dorak turned his head to look at the chiss. Her dark blue skin seemed to soak in the light appearing a deeper shade of blue than usual which caused her red eyes to stand out. Today she wore her black hair tied back with a white band of cloth. He looked back down at the lower level as he spoke. "It is not too soon. The council is wrong. Daneel went missing five years ago. It's long overdue."

"You want to look for him now because of her loss," Kai'moira countered. "We have lost both siblings, and that is something that will take a long time to heal. Especially for you since you shared a special relationship with Zufa." Dorak quickly looked at her…glowering. "The council doesn't know. All they know is that we are all close because we came through this very academy together. We fought side-by-side on Corellia. And the war is still undecided. While the sith still attack the Republic, we must remain vigilant or they could pull another surprise like they did when they sacked Coruscant."

"Which is exactly why we should find Daneel or at least what happened to him," Dorak answered. "We know the sith did not kill him or they would have boasted about it. Defeating the Barsen'thor of the jedi would be a coup any sith lord would want to claim as theirs, and yet none have which means that he could be stranded on a world somewhere and waiting for a rescue that so far no one has mustered. The order can do without one master like myself, maybe two, but we need the Barsen'thor."

Kai'moira sighed. "There is no changing your mind is there? I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. You intend to disobey the council and look for him regardless. Would you do the same it he was still here and it was another that was missing? Would you be considering this if he was the council member who refused your request? Would you be willing to do this if she yet lived?"

"Questions posed that have no relevance in the present," Dorak countered. "And yes…I intend to search for him anyway."

The healer uncrossed her arms and placed her right hand on his shoulder. "Then I am coming with you." He straightened to protest and she placed her other hand over his mouth. "No argument…I am coming with you…he was my friend as well…and so was she. And your wife would not have wanted you to look for her brother on your own," He nodded and she removed her hand from his mouth. "I could contact my brother. He would be the least likely person the council or anyone else would suspect of helping us."

"Chelick?" Dorak asked. "The bounty hunter? The same one who forced our last Supreme Chancellor to resign from office? I don't think so. No offense, Kai, but being your brother or not, I do not trust him."

"You have another in mind?" she asked and then frowned as he grinned. "No…not him…you can't be serious."

"Why not?" Dorak asked. "Sure he's brash and a little rough around the edges." She glowered at him. "Ok…a lot rough around the edges, but he's also the best and knows how to keep a secret…and he was also a friend of Daneel's." Kai'moira crossed her arms again and huffed as she looked at the floating holocron replicas. "What?"

She looked at him and pointed her finger right at his nose almost touching it. "Ok…fine…but if he asks me again if there is any place on my body where I am not blue…I will hit him so hard his ship will leak fluids for a month."

* * *

Daneel came up behind Demira and kissed her neck just below her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist. They were standing on the second floor balcony of their new home nestled at the base of a mountain less than a day's walk from Wyrmrest Temple. Six months had passed since Daneel left three noetikons with the night elves and dragons. Dwarves came from Valiance Keep at the request of Malfurion Stormrage to build their home and had finished just the week before. He and Tyrande had come to this location to help with the beginning of the new jedi temple. The jedi had found a crevice that ran along the face of the mountain, and on one side the Archdruid planted a seed. With a whisper of a spell, that tree grew to almost the same height of the mountain within minutes. On the opposite side of the crevice, and facing the tree, the dwarves had built the new home for Demira and Daneel. Both structures stood about a half mile apart. Now as they looked out from their finished home, the jedi couple watched the activity of the eight kaldorei that had remained to fashion rooms within the great tree. Celeste and the two newest padawans worked with the night elves while Kitali and Zharn, with the help of a few dragons, filled the finished rooms with equipment and supplies recovered from the old base in Eversong Woods. That mountain was now solid as Kuro had used her magic to fill it with rock and soil. Nothing remained of the old sith base. The mage and jedi had also been busy helping the two shamans, but today was their anniversary, and they were not allowed to help in any way…their friends would not allow them to.

"You know I love when you do that," she purred to him.

"I know," he whispered. "That's why I do it as often as I can."

"Do you ever miss home?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his. "Ever miss the people you left behind?" She turned in his arms to face him. "Ever have any…regrets?"

"Why are you asking me this? What brought this on?" he asked as he looked into her face. "Is there something bothering you?"

Demira's eyes searched his face…following his features including the metal visor he wore. "It's nothing…I suppose. I just…this is our new home. Since I reached adulthood I lived in that house in Eversong Woods, and now it's gone and I can never really go back to that. It was such a comfortable place and yet as I walked through our new home this morning…I don't miss it…because you are here with me. I realized that this morning when I woke up and it got me to thinking about what has happened to you except where I could actually go back to my old place and see it…you cannot. That made me sad and started thinking…do you miss anything of your old life?"

Daneel hugged her tightly. "Of course there are some things I miss. I wouldn't be honest if I said there wasn't. I miss some of my friends and my sister, but I would miss you even more. I have no regrets and would change nothing. I am the happiest I have ever been when I am with you and nothing will ever change that."

"I guess I already knew that," she whispered. "I just needed to hear you say it…again," she giggled. "Happy anniversary, baby."

"Happy anniversary," he said before kissing her.

* * *

The small XS class freighter traveled through hyperspace on the same course used by the jedi master Daneel five years before. Sitting in the co-pilot's chair in the cockpit was master Dorak as he monitored the controls governing environmental conditions on the ship. Behind him stood Kai'moira looking past him to the cascade of white and gray streaks of hyperspace that filled the viewport.

"See…he's being polite," Dorak said to her without looking up from the controls. "Everything will be fine."

"It's only been a day," she replied bluntly. Hearing footsteps behind her she closed her eyes and raised her head. "There is no emotion, there is peace."

Smuggler captain Olivaw stepped into the cockpit. His black duster flowed behind him as he took long strides before coming up behind the jedi healer. A wide grin crossed his tattooed face as he brought his right hand back before slapping Kai'moira on the posterior. "Hi there, sweet cheeks," he said boisterously. He stopped and looked down at his hand still cupping her buttock. "Been working out? Really nice and firm."

"Get your hand off my ass," she said through gritted teeth as she turned her head to glower at him.

He smiled and released his grip on her before sitting down in the pilot's chair. The lights from the controls reflected off his goggles that adorned his bald head aligned with twelve small horns. The Zabrak blew the jedi a kiss before turning his seat to face the main controls governing course and speed.

Kai'moira looked back at Dorak. "You were saying?"

"Hey…I just can't control myself around you," Olivaw said with his wide grin while Dorak looked at the healer and shrugged his shoulders. "You are just such a beautiful woman…I dream about you…you know? Ever since that time back on Corellia when you were…"

"Don't you dare say it," she said.

"Wait…what happened on Corellia?" Dorak asked looking over at the other two. "Is this why you are both like this around each other? What did I miss?"

Kai'moira sighed and closed her eyes as she raised her head again. Olivaw chuckled as he checked the controls in front of him. "I walked in on her while she was taking a sonic shower," he answered. "Haven't you ever figured out that I already _know_ where she isn't blue even though I keep asking her?" Dorak looked at his fellow jedi with wide eyes, but she kept her eyes closed muttering to herself. "Ever since then I just have to wonder what she'd be like between the sheets."

"You will never find out," she replied angrily. She looked at Dorak. "I should not have agreed to this. We would have had better luck with my…"

An alarm sounded on the console interrupting the jedi healer. Olivaw was suddenly serious as his hands danced along the controls. Kai'moira's eyes widened as the view outside changed from the cascade of hyperspace to a maelstrom of colors. Violent energies had pulled the ship from hyperspace, and under her feet the ship rocked and bucked as it fought against the gravitational forces attacking it.

"What's going on?" Dorak shouted above the alarms.

"Some sort of gravitic anomaly…it pulled us from hyperspace," Olivaw answered as he concentrated on the controls. Deckplates screamed from the stresses pounding on the ship's hull. "It's not on any of the charts, and this route is rarely used. My chart for this route is so old even dust is younger than it is. I figured our friend must have taken this route to save time. It was during the height of the war."

"When was it last used?" Kai'moira asked. "Maybe you need updated charts."

The smuggling captain shook his head. "Before Daneel…maybe the last time anyone used this route was back during the last war with the sith."

"That's only a decade ago," Dorak responded.

"Not that one," Olivaw answered. "Most people…normal people…view these last two as being the same war…I mean the last one before that…the one over a thousand years ago. No one has used this hyperspace route since then…before Daneel…and us." He gripped the console as the ship lurched to starboard, and reacted just in time to catch Kai'moira as she fell into his lap. "Inertial dampeners have failed…and damn you feel good like this in my arms, Kai." She started to respond when the forces upon the hull pushed her deeper into his embrace. Both looked at the viewport when a loud pop sounded and a crack formed along the transparisteel. "That's not good," he yelled.

"This ship is being torn apart," Dorak yelled back as he tried to stand from his chair. He lurched towards his companions and caught himself on the navicomputer console that rested between the pilot and co-pilot. "If we don't do something fast we're doomed."

"Not _my _ship!" Olivaw replied as he struggled with his left hand to reach the controls. "This baby and I have been through too much hell for it to end like this! We've dodged Imperial battleships, Hutts, been in more scrapes than I can remember…no blasted spatial rift is gonna take _us_ out!"

Dorak reached up with his left hand and grabbed an overhead console to steady himself as he took a step closer to the other two. The ship lurched to port and he fell back towards his chair. Another crack formed along the transparisteel viewport, but the ship appeared level for the moment.

"See…we'll get out of this…" Olivaw started to say before the ship lurched back to the starboard. This time Dorak fell into the chair with the other two. Thinking quickly he grabbed Kai'moira's hand that was clutching Olivaw's arm. "Now's not the time for a threesome, Dorak."

"I never…" she started to protest.

"Just…hang on…I'm going to do something that Daneel taught me," Dorak said as he brought his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I don't know if this will work, but if I don't try it…we're dead."

"Revan's trick?" the jedi healer asked. Dorak nodded his response.

"Revan's trick…you mean that one where he…but my ship….what about my ship?" Olivaw pleaded. "It's not over yet…I can fix this…I can get us out of here." A glow started to form around the three of them. "No no no no no….oh shi…"

Everything went black.


End file.
